A-Level maths exam paper leaked online as police launch probe
The exam was taken by 50,000 pupils across Britain yesterday, however claims that the answers were being sold to students for £300 ahead of sitting the test are now being probed
POLICE are probing claims that an A-Level maths exam was leaked on social media before pupils took the test.
The exam was taken by 50,000 pupils across Britain yesterday, however claims that the answers were being sold to students for £300 ahead of sitting the test are now being investigated.
Those who spoke to the person trying to sell the exam - written by exam board EdExcel - say that the first question was being sold in a bid to lure in buyers.
EdExcel said that looking into a "breach of security" and is working with police on the investigation.
Last year another EdExcel maths exam was leaked to students.
Officers looking into the latest leak arrested a man but the investigation is ongoing.
Andrew Condon, 18, who studies at Tiffin School in Kingston-upon-Thames and is hoping to study at Durham University, said he feels students who had not cheated could be judged more harshly by examiners as a result of the leak.
He told "It was all over Twitter last night, the night before our exam today.
"I was really annoyed because obviously I and a lot of other students had been studying really hard and didn't have this advantage.
"It's annoying and unfair to know some people may have sat the exam knowing the answers. And examiners won't be able to tell."
Students have also slammed the exam board on social media.
One wrote: "@Edexcel. The C4 maths paper 2018 was leaked. This is not fair on the students who actually revised for this exam without knowing the paper.
"What are you going to do about it!?"
A spokesman for the firm Pearson, which owns EdExcel, said: "Pearson has been made aware of allegations of a limited breach of security relating to the GCE Mathematics C4 examination.
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"As is usual practice in these circumstances, we have opened an investigation into whether there has been any exam malpractice. We are also contacting the police on this issue.
"We'd like to reassure all students that the planned exams next week will continue as scheduled and that we have established processes in place to ensure no students will be advantaged or disadvantaged in any way.
"If anybody has information about exam malpractice they would like to share with us in confidence they can contact us at p[email protected]."