Cambridge A-level paper leak brings distress to bright students

“ISLAMABAD: After an alleged A-level paper leak , the Inter-Board of Coordination Commission (IBCC) on Wednesday decided to seek report from Cambridge as parents and students once again raised questions about the transparency of the exam system. “Many A-level students in Pakistan, who appeared for Mathematics (9709) exam, feel cheated. The question paper had been reportedly leaked. A surprisingly prestigious institution like Cambridge can’t maintain exam integrity,” a father of a student posted on social media. Meanwhile, a teacher of an Islamabad-based private school, in her consoling message to her hardworking students, wrote in parents groups: “I can’t express how infuriated I am right now. I’m at a loss for my hardworking students. No amount of words can console me at the moment either. My heart just broke into a million pieces. I kept telling myself this cannot be true. The entire paper being leaked is just utterly ridiculous. But here we are. It has happened,” she said. Taking notice of this alleged paper leak, Executive Director IBCC Dr Ghulam Ali Mallah decided to seek a report from Cambridge. Speaking to Dawn , he said: “ Today, we saw complaints of students and parents on social media about an alleged paper leak. Therefore, we decided to write a letter on Thursday to Cambridge to get their point of view on this issue. Let me assure you, we will take every possible step for our students,” he said. Commenting on the issue, a Cambridge spokesperson said: “We are aware of news about a reported leak of a question paper. We investigate such reports thoroughly and will provide more information to centres, if required, during or after the end of timetabled exams for the June 2026 series.” It is relevant to note here that last year, there was uproar amongst students and parents for the alleged leakage of five papers. Parents had stated that question papers were available online against payment hours before the start of exams, putting the future of brilliant students at stake and giving undue favour to those who bought. The issue was taken up by the National Assembly Standing Committee, which had formed a sub-committee that probed the matter in detail and stated that several papers were leaked. Cambridge, in its statement last year, acknowledged “partial leakage of three papers.” Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2026

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