Bac exam cheats up almost 20%

THE NUMBER of students caught cheating in their baccalauréat has grown nearly 20% in a year, according to newly released education ministry figures.

Examiners opened up investigations into 515 suspected cases last summer - and in about three-quarters of these (385) the student was found to have cheated, up from 325 in 2013.

A quick glance at a smartphone was the most common cheat, followed by more traditional "anti-sèche" cheat sheets stuffed in a student's pocket. Mathematical formulae stored on a calculator and communicating with another student were also among the methods used.

Plagiarism is on the rise, accounting for 47 of the upheld cases, up from 23 in the previous year.

Cheating in the baccalauréat comes with heavy sanctions - a 0/20 score and in 63% of cases a one- or two-year ban on retaking the test. In the most serious cases, the ban can extend to five years or indefinitely.