The VCE exam authority has punished eight students for cheating last year and issued cautions to dozens of others.
The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority confirmed four students were found with unauthorised notes and three were penalised for copying the work of classmates in VCE exams.
One student who continued writing after the exam ended, despite being told to stop, was also punished.
The authority said the students’ results were reduced by up to four grades.
A student penalised by one grade (who for example received top grades in an exam) would be marked down from A+ to A.
In total, 54 exam incidents were reported for 2013, down from 78 the year before.
The authority’s chief executive, John Firth, said he was encouraged by the decrease in ‘‘exam rule incidents’’.
‘‘Students should recognise that any attempts to cheat in the VCE examinations will result in a stressful investigation process and the risk of significant penalties,’’ he said.
A further seven students were reprimanded. However, an investigation revealed these breaches were minor or accidental and did not advantage the students.
The authority also issued 31 cautions for minor breaches where there was no intent to cheat.
It reported that the number of incidents involving electronic devices, including mobile phones, dropped to 17 in 2013 from 29 in 2012.
Mr Firth said cheats would be caught.
‘‘It is clear that cheating is a waste of time.’’
