Provinces and cities are using a variety of new measures, including drones, to prevent cheating as one of the most important exams in China - the annual gaokao, or national college entrance exam - approaches.

In Guangzhou, Guangdong province, watches with storage functions have been banned from examination halls this year, Yangcheng Evening News reported.

Previously, watches - most of them being quartz or mechanical - were allowed to be taken into the halls to remind candidates of the time.