The Ministry of Education Sunday denied the leak of a national English proficiency test paper, following rumors online.

The ministry dismissed claims that the paper was uploaded online 20 minutes before the test started and said the exam went on smoothly on Saturday.

Up to now, 45 people have been held suspected of spreading "malicious information" during the exam and four of them have admitted that they spread rumors to defame the exam.

In addition, the government has cracked down on 14 gangs for allegedly earlier engaging in cheating at the College English Test (CET).

The ministry also released that some candidates paid for answers in advance.

Shanghai Daily reported on Monday that a web user wrote on a forum recently "I paid for the CET answers and hope it works."

The CET is a major benchmark in the graduate job-seeking process. However, it has faced persistent criticism in recent years as there were many reports of widespread cheating and leaks.

Critics say the test has developed into a tool for finding a job rather than reflecting students' practical English level.

The statistics of the ministry showed that over 9.2 million students participated in the test. People can sit the exam repeatedly to improve their score.