Says there will be no additional cost for students while the results release date of August 11 will remain unchanged
Cambridge International Education (CIE) announced on Thursday the cancellation of the AS Level Mathematics exam (9709/12) for students in administrative zones 3 and 4, following the leak of the question paper.
The leak, which violated examination rules, led to the decision not to use the paper for the final assessment results.
This recent development follows the Mathematics journal leak last week. The CIE announced that the AS level mathematics paper for the June 2026 exams, held in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Pakistan and South Asia, had been shared prematurely, in violation of its regulations.
A statement released today by the authority on the subject said: “After detailed review, the extent of sharing means that we cannot use this paper to award final exam results. We have therefore made the decision to cancel mathematics (9709/12), and it will not be used to generate results through calculated assessment.”
The review body assured students, schools and families that investigations were underway, with the cooperation of law enforcement. The breach led to “frustration and disappointment,” Cambridge acknowledged, noting the hard work students had put into their preparation.
“The theft and unauthorized sharing of this exam paper remains under active investigation. We are working closely with relevant law enforcement and other partners to identify those responsible. Cambridge has strict sanctions for anyone found to have shared or misused confidential exam materials, including permanent disqualification from Cambridge qualifications and operations,” it said.
The statement further added that the authority regularly receives reports of alleged leaks of exam papers, the vast majority of which are fake.
“We regularly monitor social media and other online channels for posts offering to share or sell quizzes, proactively working with the platforms to identify and remove this content. Our legal and compliance teams investigate every credible report and we take strong legal action against those involved in illegal sharing,” the statement said.
Cambridge’s priority, it is said, was to ensure that no student was disadvantaged by the incident. As part of this commitment, a replacement mathematics exam (9709/12) will take place on June 9 according to the regular exam schedule. “The replacement exam will ensure fair results for students, consistent with university requirements.”
“There will be no additional cost to students or schools. The results publication date of August 11 will remain unchanged,” the statement said.
The statement further said that the CIE planned to provide detailed guidance by May 15 on how schools would receive the replacement questionnaires. They would also answer frequently asked questions and describe the process for students affected by the situation.
Read: Cambridge says it is ‘aware’ of reported A-Level paper leak and is investigating the matter
“We encourage all students to continue to focus on their remaining exams and reassure them that the actions we are taking are in the best interests of Cambridge students and the integrity of our qualifications,” it concludes.
According to claims circulating online, AS Level Mathematics has appeared on social media in both unsolved and solved formats. Some people suggested the information surfaced last Tuesday evening, while others claimed it was circulating at least six hours before the exam.
It was further reported that the document was shared on social media platforms including Reddit and then widely circulated via WhatsApp. Some students also claimed it was sold through an app before being distributed online.
Sources said The Express PK Press Club that at a private school exam center in Karachi, students raised objections during the exam, claiming that they had already seen the newspaper on social media a few hours earlier. They questioned the conduct of the exam in such circumstances, arguing that it could affect their cut-off marks. British Council representatives at the center reportedly recorded written statements from the affected students.
Cambridge system A and O level exams are currently being held across the country for the May to June session. However, the latest incident is significant, as a complete and resolved article was reportedly leaked, whereas the previous year around four articles were partially leaked, with only selected issues circulating online.
Read also: Cambridge offers students free retakes in November after paper leak in June
The Federal Department of Education had previously carried out investigations into such incidents, while Cambridge had also carried out internal investigations. However, the findings were not shared with the ministry, and details regarding who was responsible or what actions were taken were not disclosed.
In accordance with exam security protocols, Cambridge question papers are not supposed to leave the test centers as candidates write their answers directly on the question papers. Despite this, unresolved and resolved versions of the document were reportedly circulating on social media before and after the review.
