In its continuing campaign to clean up the grade 12 national exam, the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) has warned that anyone caught leaking copies of the test or selling answers could find themselves imprisoned.

Punishments for misbehaving exam observers are spelled out in an ACU statement released yesterday, which splits penalties into three levels.

For smaller offences such as making noise, not wearing an ID pass or showing up late, observers will receive a warning.

Any observers found trying to leak copies of the test will be immediately dismissed, and those who manage to successfully disseminate copies of the exam or solicit bribes for doing so will face legal action.

To prevent leakage of any one of the test’s seven subjects, Minister of Education Hang Chuon Naron is limiting the number of people involved in writing the exam, with only high-level officials under his scrutiny involved.

“In previous years, we had many officials writing the subjects, which makes it easy to leak the test, but this year . . . I will watch their work closely and they will be responsible for any leakage,” he said.

The government’s current measures to stamp out corruption in the exams provide a sharp contrast to prior years when an NGO study found that more than $500,000 in bribes was funnelled to teachers.