Nannies and hormone jabs the norm in China’s exams

If you’re finding the exams tough, spare a thought for Chinese students currently undergoing their equivalent of the Leaving Certificate.

More than nine million students sat China’s notoriously tough college entrance exams yesterday, with “high-flyer” rooms, nannies and even intravenous drips among the tools being employed for success.

There are 6.85 million university spots on offer this year — not a lot for a population of a billion-plus — and attempts to cheat are rife: 1,500 people have been arrested on suspicion of selling transmitters and hard-to-detect ear pieces.