CIE says leaked AS-level maths paper shared before exam, vows action against those responsible
Cambridge International Education (CIE) on Wednesday confirmed the leak of another A-level maths paper that was allegedly circulated online ahead of the exam, and said it was working to establish the extent of the breach and decide next steps.
A and O level examinations under the Cambridge system are currently held across the country for the May-June session. Just days after the cancellation of an A-Level Mathematics paper due to a leak, another CIE Mathematics exam was reportedly leaked on Monday, a day before the exam scheduled for Tuesday.
“We can confirm that Cambridge International AS Level Mathematics Paper 52 (9709), taken in our administrative zones 3 and 4 on 12 May, was shared prematurely against our strict rules,” the CIE said in a statement.
Read: The government is taking notice after another Cambridge Maths paper is allegedly leaked
It said it investigated such incidents “quickly and thoroughly” and was now working to understand the extent of the leak and determine next steps.
“We will share detailed information with schools about the approach to be followed following this leak by Friday 22 May,” it added.
The CIE further said that following discussions with key stakeholders in Pakistan, and as an additional security and identification measure, it had decided to postpone the Cambridge International AS Level Mathematics Paper 32 (9709) to be held in Pakistan on Friday.
“We will replace this with a new exam paper and communicate a new exam date within the June series by Friday 22 May,” it said, adding that the Cambridge International AS & A Level results release date of 11 August remains unchanged.
“Our priority is to ensure that students are not disadvantaged by this incident and we continue to take all possible measures to protect the integrity of our exams,” said Cambridge country director Pakistan Uzma Yousuf.
She added that “decisions on next steps are made by senior and experienced professionals who have all the facts”.
“Our principles are: To ensure the fairness and reliability of the grades we assign, so that universities and other users of the grades can continue to trust them,” Yousuf said.
CIE called the nature of the theft “unprecedented” and said criminals were trying to undermine exams and the future of students who depended on them.
“We are pursuing several legal avenues to stop and punish those responsible,” it added.
“While we do not comment on individual reports of paper leaks, we investigate all allegations. Despite this example, paper leaks remain rare and where there is a real problem we update schools at the right time and provide recommended next steps.
“We ask people to rely only on official statements from Cambridge and not to add misinformation which is highly inappropriate for students. We thank all our students and schools for their patience and ask them to await further updates,” the statement said.
The A-level maths paper was reportedly leaked on Monday, with several students claiming it had started circulating online ahead of the exam.
According to students, the math paper scheduled for the afternoon of May 12 had already started circulating on social media hours before the exam began. Candidates claimed that when they entered the examination hall, they were handed the same paper which had been shown online earlier.
The federal government also took notice of the incident, with Education Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui expressing concern over the repeated paper leaks.
“Hard-working students cannot be allowed to suffer because of such incidents,” the minister said, adding that similar cases had also surfaced last year and Cambridge should further strengthen its exam system.
He also directed the board chairmen’s committee to immediately call a meeting with Cambridge authorities and take urgent measures to protect the interests of the students.
Earlier, a Cambridge A-Level Mathematics paper conducted on April 29 was also leaked, prompting authorities to announce a retest.
Following the incident, the CIE announced the cancellation of the AS Level Mathematics (9709/12) exam for students in administrative zones 3 and 4 after the question was leaked. The violation of the examination regulations led to the decision not to use the paper for final assessment results.
During the ongoing exam session, some other papers were also reported to be partially leaked.
