A Chinese education official warned students sitting for the upcoming college entrance examination to steer well clear of cheating tools being sold online.

"Cheating in the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) is a violation of law. Those caught cheating will have a permanent mark in their student credibility record," said a senior official with the Ministry of Education (MOE).

The MOE said on Monday that it would set up a public "credibility record" for test-takers to prevent exam fraud.

The official warned parents not to connive at students buying cheating tools which often involve "fraud".

She said that exam fraud with the aid of tools such as wireless earphones, cell phones and other electronic devices would be considered severe cheating behavior.

"We will severely crack down on cheating in such a highly selective test to protect the interests of honest students," the official added.

The high-profile NCEE, scheduled for July 7 and 8, is regarded as one of the most important examinations in China, because it is the only chance for most high school students to gain access to higher education.

Statistics from the Ministry of Education show a record 10.1 million people have applied to take the exam next month, but only 5.67 million will be able to enter college.

Education chiefs have taken a set of measures to clean up the exam environment, including requiring test-takers to sign written pledges and increasing security checks at exam venues.

But cheating is nevertheless on the rise. In last year's national college exam, about 3,000 students were caught cheating. In 2005, the number was 1,300.

Source: Xinhua