There has been an increase in cheating in Irish colleges and universities, with at least 2,300 cases since 2010.
According to figures published in the Irish Times, business students are more likely to cheat in exams - while arts students are said to be the worst offenders for plagiarism.
The paper reports that a student in Sligo IT was disciplined for forging a medical certificate to get out of an assignment.
Two other students at the same college are reported to have been caught sneaking notes "inside their calculator covers".
The figures also reveal that expulsions for cheating are rare - although there were 25 expulsions at NCI between 2011 and 2018 out of 279 cases of 'academic misconduct'.
It comes at a time when smartphones are easily concealed and essay mills are available online.
Essay mills refer to services that allow students to buy essays to complete assignments.
Last month, Minister of State Mary Mitchell O'Connor said that proposed legislation currently before the Oireachtas is aiming to "prosecute the provision or advertising of essay mills and other forms of academic cheating".
