Thousands of A-Level students have had their exams thrown into disarray following a series of online leaks traced to Pakistan. Cambridge International, a leading exam board, has voided physics papers taken last week after discovering that questions had been 'shared prematurely'. Students will now receive an assessed mark based on their performance in other modules.
Impact on Students
This is the latest in a string of leaks that have left university applicants anxious about achieving the grades required for their chosen courses. Exam materials have been 'circulated' in Pakistan, according to the board, and local media report that a national cybercrime investigation has been launched. Earlier this month, Cambridge also confirmed leaks of AS and A-level maths papers, as well as an AS computer science exam.
Online platforms such as Reddit and Discord have been flooded with images purporting to be from this year's papers, some of which appear genuine. Tobias Eatough, 18, who is taking A-levels in maths, physics, and biology, told the Daily Mail: 'From what I've seen, pretty much every single exam has been leaked. A couple of hours before, you get at least five people posting... And from there, it spreads.' He was confident of securing three As to study medical biosciences at Imperial College London but must now retake two exams. 'One of the papers that I felt went best has been cancelled, and they're now going to assign me a mark, which is just completely unfair,' he said. 'It feels like something that should be in my control, but it's completely out of my hands now. You do so much revision and you're not even sure if it will count.'
Cambridge's Response
Cambridge qualifications are taken by pupils at nearly 5,000 schools in 138 countries, including some independent schools in the UK. Declaring last Wednesday's physics AS and A-level papers void, Cambridge stated that students who took them—including those in the UK, Europe, and the Middle East—will receive an 'assessed mark'. The board creates a global ranking of all students taking the same combination of modules and awards a corresponding mark based on their performance in other exams. A second physics paper due to be taken tomorrow has also been replaced.
Another student from London, studying maths, computer science, and economics, expressed concerns about retakes scheduled for June. 'I thought I had two weeks between my last exams and my next economics one. Now I have to revise all of that content at the same time—and these are hefty papers worth about 60 per cent of my grades,' he said. He hopes to study law and has offers from five Russell Group universities but said the leaks have placed 'a lot of pressure' on him. 'When I don't want to stress myself out on the morning of an exam, sometimes I just scroll on Instagram, and then I might see a paper. It's just how it is now—you don't even have to look it up,' he added.
Investigation and Petition
In a statement earlier this month, Cambridge confirmed that its AS computer science exam had been 'shared prematurely in Pakistan' but noted that this does not necessarily mean the leak originated there. Local media report that the board has contacted Pakistan's National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency. Sam Gower, a maths teacher from Britain, has started an online petition demanding, among other things, a guarantee that university places will not be affected by potentially delayed retake grades.
A spokesman for Cambridge International said: 'We have acted swiftly to put alternative measures in place for impacted students. It remains rare for the integrity of an exam to be compromised. The theft of these papers is the subject of an active investigation, and we are working closely with relevant law enforcement authorities and other partners.'
