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KARACHI: The Cambridge International Education (CIE) board, which conducts O- and A-level exams, has admitted that parts of its question papers for examinations in June had been leaked, and that said students will be given extra marks for those questions.
In a statement released on Thursday, the board announced that it has completed the investigation into the alleged leaks and that they were making sure all students “receive fair results”.
The statement said Cambridge conducted over two million exams each year in thousands of schools and centres in 160 countries and it was “very rare for any of our exams to be compromised”.
On the allegations of paper leaks in June, the CIE statement said most reports of question paper leaks “turned out to be false”, calling them “malicious attempts to undermine the exams and to disturb and upset candidates”.
“It is also clear that there were attempts to scam money from candidates in exchange for fake papers.”
Board concludes probe into allegations of cheating; says students will get full marks for those questions
However, the investigation confirmed that some questions from three exam papers were leaked before the exam was taken.
These included one question from AS & A Level Mathematics Paper 12, two from AS & A Level Mathematics Paper 42 and one from AS & A Level Computer Science Paper 22.
However, in all three cases, Cambridge found no evidence that the whole paper had been circulated in advance.
Fair results
The statement said the three papers will be marked as usual, but in order to ensure fair results and neutralise any advantage gained by those who got the questions in advance, the leaked questions will be discounted.
“We will give full marks to all candidates for those questions. This approach will tend to push candidates’ total marks upwards and this will be accounted for when we announce results.”
This would ensure that any advantage gained by candidates who saw the leaked questions is removed and ensure the final grades are “accurate and reliable,” the press release stated.
“This remedy also avoids the potential anxiety associated with candidates having to resit exams and waiting longer for results.”
The investigation has also “uncovered the source of the leak” and the board is taking action against those who stole the papers.
Uzma Yousuf, Cambridge country director for Pakistan, said the board “shares the anger, frustration and disappointment felt by many that these leaks have occurred”.
“Dishonest people have stolen our question papers, and the main victims of this theft are young people who suffered considerable anxiety and distress at an important time,” she said.
Dr Anthony Dawson, the director of Assessment Standards, said the remedy provided by the board will ensure that students who didn’t get the paper in advance are treated fairly.
Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2025
