MUMBAI: The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), equivalent to Class 12, experienced instances of ‘time zone cheating’ during its two mathematics tests last week. Students in one time zone memorized questions and later shared them on social media after completing their tests, potentially assisting students in other time zones who had yet to take the tests. IBDP question papers are not permitted to be taken home.
The IB board has acknowledged the situation but has not specified the country of origin for the leak. Principals in Mumbai believe the contents of the papers were uploaded from Turkey. The time difference suggests that Indian students were less likely to benefit, but those in Hong Kong, Singapore, Europe, and the Americas might have.
This is the first instance of a ‘paper leak’ in the over 55-year history of the Switzerland-based board. While it has policies against academic malpractice such as plagiarism, and ghostwriting, ‘time zone cheating’ has not been previously addressed.
IB exams started on April 24. The two-hour maths tests were held on May 1 and 2, and the leak was discovered on May 3. The board runs exams in three time zones with a uniform timetable: Zone A, Asia and Australia; Zone B, Europe and Africa; Zone C, Americas.
According to the board, a small number of students involved in the maths ‘time zone cheating’ have been identified and a formal investigation will be conducted. If found guilty, the students may face “severe consequences”, including no marks for the subjects in question, not being awarded a diploma, and being banned from future exams.
“Despite demands from some parents and students for exam cancellation, the board believes there is no evidence of widespread cheating and maintains confidence in the overall integrity of the exam session,” said a source. “The exams will proceed as scheduled, with sessions in India at 10 am and 2.30 pm, concluding on May 17. IB is a prestigious education system, with over 8,000 programmes in 5,700 schools across 160 countries.”
The next maths papers are due on Monday afternoon. Parents in Mumbai were largely unaware of the incident, though students were aware of the matter. Principals have noted that question papers are sent to schools well in advance, with the May exam papers arriving in February. Some papers are accompanied by answer booklets, while others must be returned after exam. There are concerns about the potential for tampering at the school level, unlike the CBSE system where papers are kept in banks. As for SSC and HSC papers, they are delivered on exam day.
The IB board has acknowledged the situation but has not specified the country of origin for the leak. Principals in Mumbai believe the contents of the papers were uploaded from Turkey. The time difference suggests that Indian students were less likely to benefit, but those in Hong Kong, Singapore, Europe, and the Americas might have.
This is the first instance of a ‘paper leak’ in the over 55-year history of the Switzerland-based board. While it has policies against academic malpractice such as plagiarism, and ghostwriting, ‘time zone cheating’ has not been previously addressed.
IB exams started on April 24. The two-hour maths tests were held on May 1 and 2, and the leak was discovered on May 3. The board runs exams in three time zones with a uniform timetable: Zone A, Asia and Australia; Zone B, Europe and Africa; Zone C, Americas.
According to the board, a small number of students involved in the maths ‘time zone cheating’ have been identified and a formal investigation will be conducted. If found guilty, the students may face “severe consequences”, including no marks for the subjects in question, not being awarded a diploma, and being banned from future exams.
“Despite demands from some parents and students for exam cancellation, the board believes there is no evidence of widespread cheating and maintains confidence in the overall integrity of the exam session,” said a source. “The exams will proceed as scheduled, with sessions in India at 10 am and 2.30 pm, concluding on May 17. IB is a prestigious education system, with over 8,000 programmes in 5,700 schools across 160 countries.”
The next maths papers are due on Monday afternoon. Parents in Mumbai were largely unaware of the incident, though students were aware of the matter. Principals have noted that question papers are sent to schools well in advance, with the May exam papers arriving in February. Some papers are accompanied by answer booklets, while others must be returned after exam. There are concerns about the potential for tampering at the school level, unlike the CBSE system where papers are kept in banks. As for SSC and HSC papers, they are delivered on exam day.