Number of Leaving and Junior Cert students caught cheating doubles in a year

The State Examinations Commission (SEC) said 86 results had been withheld for last year’s Leaving Cert compared to 39 in 2023.

Similarly, 24 Junior Cycle exam scores were permanently withheld after last year’s exams – over double the figure of 10 from 2023.

The Sec said that while they would not provide details of individual breaches, results were withheld for a variety of reasons.

These included possession of notes and unauthorised use of mobile phones, or other electronic devices including smart watches, in exam halls.

Some of the cheating incidents were uncovered by the inclusion of “extraneous material” with an exam script. There were also cases where papers from different students were almost identical.

The Sec said the exam process was treated with the “utmost confidentiality” and on that basis, only overall figures without details of school or gender would be released.

Along with the 86 Leaving Cert results permanently withheld, there were a further 12 that had been…