KEY POINTS:
More than 100 students had some of their exam marks withheld last year after they were found to have broken the rules, new figures show.
Data released by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority [NZQA] yesterday revealed that of 328 breaches of exam rules investigated last year, 116 cases were proven and resulted in marks being withheld.
The number was a slight drop on the 2006 round, which saw 336 cases investigated and 135 cases in which candidates had results withheld.
Exams sat at Auckland's Avondale College involved the highest number of proven cases of rule breaches.
"We take a very strong line on all these things and follow up any suspected variances rather vigorously," said principal Brent Lewis.
The school is one of the country's largest with more than 2600 students. It was an "exam centre" with students from other schools sitting exams there.
Exam centres with four proven cases included Howick College, Lynfield College and Waitakere College.
At Orewa College, Palmerston North Boys' High School and Selwyn College exam centres, there were three proven cases.
Despite the popularity of mobile phones, the data suggested fewer were brought into exam rooms.
NZQA deputy chief executive (qualifications) Bali Haque said even having a mobile phone in an exam room was technically a breach of rules.
"This year, we made a bit of a fuss about that in our publicity with schools and it's dropped off quite a lot."
He said the overall numbers were small considering almost 140,000 sat the exams. He said not all students who broke the rules intended to.
"Sometimes it's just pure stress - the students are very nervous, they've been revising and they breach the rules inadvertently. And, of course, we take account of that."
