diff --git a/app/controllers/code_ocean/files_controller.rb b/app/controllers/code_ocean/files_controller.rb
index 3c255ffa..74c1932f 100644
--- a/app/controllers/code_ocean/files_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/code_ocean/files_controller.rb
@@ -14,6 +14,21 @@ module CodeOcean
       create_and_respond(object: @file, path: proc { implement_exercise_path(@file.context.exercise, tab: 2) })
     end
 
+    def create_and_respond(options = {})
+      @object = options[:object]
+      respond_to do |format|
+        if @object.save
+          yield if block_given?
+          path = options[:path].try(:call) || @object
+          respond_with_valid_object(format, notice: t('shared.object_created', model: @object.class.model_name.human), path: path, status: :created)
+        else
+          filename = (@object.path || '') + '/' + (@object.name || '') + (@object.file_type.file_extension || '')
+          format.html { redirect_to(options[:path]); flash[:danger] = t('files.error.filename', name: filename) }
+          format.json { render(json: @object.errors, status: :unprocessable_entity) }
+        end
+      end
+    end
+
     def destroy
       @file = CodeOcean::File.find(params[:id])
       authorize!
diff --git a/app/controllers/exercises_controller.rb b/app/controllers/exercises_controller.rb
index 69d1f46f..0304abb4 100644
--- a/app/controllers/exercises_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/exercises_controller.rb
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ class ExercisesController < ApplicationController
   private :user_by_code_harbor_token
 
   def exercise_params
-    params[:exercise].permit(:description, :execution_environment_id, :file_id, :instructions, :public, :hide_file_tree, :team_id, :title, files_attributes: file_attributes).merge(user_id: current_user.id, user_type: current_user.class.name)
+    params[:exercise].permit(:description, :execution_environment_id, :file_id, :instructions, :public, :hide_file_tree, :allow_file_creation, :team_id, :title, files_attributes: file_attributes).merge(user_id: current_user.id, user_type: current_user.class.name)
   end
   private :exercise_params
 
diff --git a/app/models/code_ocean/file.rb b/app/models/code_ocean/file.rb
index 48ec97d0..7b00cbdd 100644
--- a/app/models/code_ocean/file.rb
+++ b/app/models/code_ocean/file.rb
@@ -2,6 +2,17 @@ require File.expand_path('../../../uploaders/file_uploader', __FILE__)
 require File.expand_path('../../../../lib/active_model/validations/boolean_presence_validator', __FILE__)
 
 module CodeOcean
+
+  class FileNameValidator < ActiveModel::Validator
+    def validate(record)
+      existing_files = File.where(name: record.name, path: record.path, file_type_id: record.file_type_id,
+                                  context_id: record.context_id, context: record.context).to_a
+      unless existing_files.empty?
+        record.errors[:base] << 'Duplicate'
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
   class File < ActiveRecord::Base
     include DefaultValues
 
@@ -44,6 +55,8 @@ module CodeOcean
     validates :weight, if: :teacher_defined_test?, numericality: true, presence: true
     validates :weight, absence: true, unless: :teacher_defined_test?
 
+    validates_with FileNameValidator, fields: [:name, :path, :file_type_id]
+
     ROLES.each do |role|
       define_method("#{role}?") { self.role == role }
     end
diff --git a/app/views/exercises/_editor_file_tree.html.slim b/app/views/exercises/_editor_file_tree.html.slim
index 8ca349d4..c23158b9 100644
--- a/app/views/exercises/_editor_file_tree.html.slim
+++ b/app/views/exercises/_editor_file_tree.html.slim
@@ -2,8 +2,9 @@
 
 hr
 
-/= render('editor_button', classes: 'btn-block btn-primary btn-sm', data: {:'data-cause' => 'file'}, icon: 'fa fa-plus', id: 'create-file', label: t('exercises.editor.create_file'))
-/= render('editor_button', classes: 'btn-block btn-warning btn-sm', data: {:'data-cause' => 'file', :'data-message-confirm' => t('shared.confirm_destroy')}, icon: 'fa fa-times', id: 'destroy-file', label: t('exercises.editor.destroy_file'))
-= render('editor_button', classes: 'btn-block btn-primary btn-sm', icon: 'fa fa-download', id: 'download', label: t('exercises.editor.download'))
+- if @exercise.allow_file_creation?
+  = render('editor_button', classes: 'btn-block btn-primary btn-sm', data: {:'data-cause' => 'file'}, icon: 'fa fa-plus', id: 'create-file', label: t('exercises.editor.create_file'))
+  = render('editor_button', classes: 'btn-block btn-warning btn-sm', data: {:'data-cause' => 'file', :'data-message-confirm' => t('shared.confirm_destroy')}, icon: 'fa fa-times', id: 'destroy-file', label: t('exercises.editor.destroy_file'))
+  = render('shared/modal', id: 'modal-file', template: 'code_ocean/files/_form', title: t('exercises.editor.create_file'))
 
-= render('shared/modal', id: 'modal-file', template: 'code_ocean/files/_form', title: t('exercises.editor.create_file'))
+= render('editor_button', classes: 'btn-block btn-primary btn-sm', icon: 'fa fa-download', id: 'download', label: t('exercises.editor.download'))
diff --git a/app/views/exercises/_form.html.slim b/app/views/exercises/_form.html.slim
index 1995c8d8..f0f69f7a 100644
--- a/app/views/exercises/_form.html.slim
+++ b/app/views/exercises/_form.html.slim
@@ -28,6 +28,10 @@
     label
       = f.check_box(:hide_file_tree)
       = t('activerecord.attributes.exercise.hide_file_tree')
+  .checkbox
+    label
+      = f.check_box(:allow_file_creation)
+      = t('activerecord.attributes.exercise.allow_file_creation')
   h2 = t('activerecord.attributes.exercise.files')
   ul#files.list-unstyled.panel-group
     = f.fields_for :files do |files_form|
diff --git a/app/views/exercises/show.html.slim b/app/views/exercises/show.html.slim
index 2181acf2..fc28272a 100644
--- a/app/views/exercises/show.html.slim
+++ b/app/views/exercises/show.html.slim
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ h1
 = row(label: 'exercise.maximum_score', value: @exercise.maximum_score)
 = row(label: 'exercise.public', value: @exercise.public?)
 = row(label: 'exercise.hide_file_tree', value: @exercise.hide_file_tree?)
+= row(label: 'exercise.allow_file_creation', value: @exercise.allow_file_creation?)
 = row(label: 'exercise.embedding_parameters') do
   = content_tag(:input, nil, class: 'form-control', readonly: true, value: embedding_parameters(@exercise))
 
diff --git a/config/locales/de.yml b/config/locales/de.yml
index a93a98db..e7d78943 100644
--- a/config/locales/de.yml
+++ b/config/locales/de.yml
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ de:
         team_id: Team
         title: Titel
         user: Autor
+        allow_file_creation: "Dateierstellung erlauben"
       external_user:
         consumer: Konsument
         email: E-Mail
@@ -292,6 +293,8 @@ de:
       teacher_defined_test: Test als Bewertungsgrundlage
       user_defined_file: Benutzerdefinierte Datei
       user_defined_test: Benutzerdefinierter Test
+    error:
+      filename: "Die Datei konnte nicht gespeichert werden, da eine Datei mit dem Namen '%{name}' bereits existiert."
   hints:
     form:
       hints:
diff --git a/config/locales/en.yml b/config/locales/en.yml
index b835a721..f2470fc8 100644
--- a/config/locales/en.yml
+++ b/config/locales/en.yml
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ en:
         team_id: Team
         title: Title
         user: Author
+        allow_file_creation: "Allow file creation"
       external_user:
         consumer: Consumer
         email: Email
@@ -292,6 +293,8 @@ en:
       teacher_defined_test: Test for Assessment
       user_defined_file: User-defined File
       user_defined_test: User-defined Test
+    error:
+      filename: "The file could not be saved, because another file with the name '%{name}' already exists."
   hints:
     form:
       hints:
diff --git a/db/migrate/20160510145341_add_allow_file_creation_to_exercises.rb b/db/migrate/20160510145341_add_allow_file_creation_to_exercises.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ade1bb26
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/migrate/20160510145341_add_allow_file_creation_to_exercises.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+class AddAllowFileCreationToExercises < ActiveRecord::Migration
+  def change
+    add_column :exercises, :allow_file_creation, :boolean
+  end
+end
diff --git a/db/schema.rb b/db/schema.rb
index eadfd44e..bcf1a675 100644
--- a/db/schema.rb
+++ b/db/schema.rb
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 #
 # It's strongly recommended that you check this file into your version control system.
 
-ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 20160426114951) do
+ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 20160510145341) do
 
   # These are extensions that must be enabled in order to support this database
   enable_extension "plpgsql"
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 20160426114951) do
     t.string   "token"
     t.integer  "team_id"
     t.boolean  "hide_file_tree"
+    t.boolean  "allow_file_creation"
   end
 
   add_index "exercises", ["execution_environment_id"], name: "test3", using: :btree