As a trusted provider of education around the world we have been running international examinations for more than 150 years. Schools enter candidates for our assessments because of their educational value and because the results are widely recognised as valid, reliable, fair, and impartial by employers, universities, and other schools. We understand how important it is for our candidates and their families to have confidence in our exams, which is why we have such rigorous processes and regulations. The responsibility to maintain the security of our question papers is one we share with our schools and Associates.
What has happened?
We have written to our schools in Pakistan to tell them that, against our regulations, some content from the question papers listed below was available before the timetabled exam dates in Pakistan.
- Cambridge International AS & A Level Mathematics Paper 12, where one question was shared before the exam was taken
- Cambridge International AS & A Level Mathematics Paper 42, where parts of two questions were shared before the exam was taken
- Cambridge International AS & A Level Computer Science Paper 22, where parts of one question were shared before the exam was taken.
In all three cases, we found no evidence that the whole paper had been shared before the exam.
Will Cambridge still issue grades?
Yes, we will issue a syllabus grade for all the subjects listed above, in the usual way, on 12 August 2025 (our published Cambridge International A Level results day). Your results will still be considered for the Outstanding Cambridge Learners' Awards and be accepted by universities in Pakistan and around the world.
What action is Cambridge taking?
If you sat exams for any of these subjects, you will receive an overall syllabus grade. Your grade will be based on question paper content you have completed.
However, we have decided to take action for each of these syllabuses / components to maintain the integrity and fairness of the assessment for all candidates and so that we can award an overall syllabus grade on our published results days. Therefore, we have disregarded some questions from each paper – we will award you full marks for these questions.
Are candidates disadvantaged by the action Cambridge is taking?
No, candidates will not be disadvantaged by any of these actions. We are making sure we can award you a fair and reliable final grade, as planned on results day. Our actions make sure that candidates who accessed question paper content before their exam do not have any advantage and will not achieve higher marks by cheating. We are protecting the integrity of the assessment and making sure that it remains a trusted qualification by schools and universities worldwide.
This approach will tend to push candidates’ total marks upwards, and we will consider this when grading.
Is Cambridge investigating why this has happened?
Yes, we take cases of malpractice extremely seriously. Multiple malpractice investigations are ongoing. We will take decisive action against anyone proven to have been involved in malpractice. For centres, it is likely to mean deregistration, and we share this information with other Awarding Organisations. For candidates it is likely to mean disqualification and barring from entering our exams.
We would also like to reassure you that, before every exam series, we carry out extensive and detailed planning to review our exam security arrangements. The security of our exams is of the utmost importance. As usual, we will review and plan security arrangements before the next exam series.
Who can I speak to if I have questions?
We hope this information helps to explain what has happened, the actions we are taking, and why. If you still have questions or feel you need more information, please talk to your school – we have already shared information with them so they can answer your questions.
We appreciate the frustration our decision to disregard some question paper content may cause. We understand and share this frustration. We further appreciate that only a minority of candidates will have had sight of question paper content before their timetabled exam. However, disregarding a small number of questions means that we can still award fair and valid grades based on question paper content you have completed.
Furthermore, as already outlined, the actions we are taking protect candidates who have not viewed question paper content before the exam and ensures they receive a fair and reliable grade that allows them to progress with their education and next life steps. Candidates who have chosen to access question paper content before their exam will not have any advantage and will not achieve higher marks.
Lastly, we would like to thank candidates and families that have played their part in keeping our exams secure during the June series and who have reported concerns to us.