Test takers make final preparations for the National Postgraduate Entrance Examination in Fuyang, Anhui province, before the exam started on Saturday. LU QIJIAN/CHINA DAILY

The Ministry of Education has reported a suspected cheating incident in an important exam on the weekend to the public security authorities and will crack down on any cheating in exams, according to the ministry's micro blog on Sunday.

The post came after anonymous Internet users alleged that some questions and answers on the National Postgraduate Entrance Examination, which was held on Saturday and Sunday, were released in advance.

The Internet users posted screenshots from social networking apps showing questions and answers that were going to be on the exam.

The ministry said in the post that it had no tolerance for cheating and had asked public security departments to conduct an investigation.

"Those who disrupt testing and harm the equity of education by cheating will get the punishment they deserve," the ministry said.

According to a newly amended Chinese Criminal Law, those who organize, assist or are involved in cheating during national exams could be sentenced to three to seven years in prison.

As the first graduate school entrance exam after the amendment, the exam on the weekend was dubbed by Internet users as "the one supervised the most strictly".