20 May 2026
Outcome of the investigation into Cambridge AS & A Level Mathematics (9709/52)
On 13 May, we confirmed that Cambridge AS & A Level Mathematics, paper 52, (9709/52) taken in our administrative zones 3 and 4 was shared prematurely against our strict regulations.
Our priority is to make sure we are fair to the majority of students who did not cheat. That means making sure those who cheated receive no advantage so that all students applying to university compete on an equal basis.
For paper 52, we will use our well-established approach of 'assessed marks' to make sure students are treated equally and fairly. Assessed marks is a well-researched method, also used by other UK-based boards, that we routinely use in cases where candidates are absent from a paper for an acceptable reason, such as unexpected injury or illness on the day of the exam. Universities accept and trust results that use assessed marks.
How assessed marks work
Using assessed marks means we will disregard the mark for the paper and instead calculate a mark for each student based on their performance in the other components in the syllabus for which they are entered and completed work.
We understand the frustration many students will feel that some of their peers attempted to gain unfair advantage by cheating, but this will not happen. Using 'assessed marks' removes any possible unfair advantage those students tried to gain and allows us to treat all students equally.
Our method cancels out the effect of an easy or difficult paper and reflects any difference in difficulty. Candidates can still get 100 per cent of the marks.
We understand you may have questions about assessed marks and we have information on our website which explains:
- when and how we calculate assessed marks
- how our method of calculating assessed marks cancels out the effect of an easy or difficult paper and makes sure candidates who receive an assessed mark are not advantaged or disadvantaged compared to candidates who sat the paper.
Watch our video explaining how we calculate assessed marks for candidates who miss a component of a syllabus, and why it is a fair way to give a candidate a grade.
We also recognise that students are having to deal with this information at an important point in their education and amid confirmation of leaks to Cambridge International AS & A Level papers.
Our commitment to exam security
During our June 2026 series, we have been facing sustained and focussed efforts to steal our exam papers, and we are actively responding to this threat. The theft of this and other exam papers remains the subject of a detailed investigation. We are pursuing perpetrators through legal action, working with law enforcement authorities and relevant social media platforms. We will apply sanctions to those who share or misuse confidential exam materials, including permanent disqualification from our qualifications and operations.
Exam security challenges are not unique to any single board. They are a threat to all boards. Rigorous security protocols govern every step of how exam papers are produced, handled, stored and distributed. These measures are constantly updated as the types of malpractice threats change and have been adapted further in light of this incident.
Students should continue to beware of scams, fuelling misinformation and malpractice. We provide useful guidance on that here.
Thank you for your continued professionalism and support during what we know is a very busy and challenging exam series. We are here to support you and your teams.
13 May 2026
We can confirm that Cambridge International AS & A Level Mathematics Paper 52 (9709) taken in our administrative zones 3 and 4* on 12 May, was shared prematurely against our strict regulations. We investigate such thefts promptly and thoroughly and we are now working to understand the extent of the leak and determine next steps.
Our decisions about the next steps are taken by senior and experienced professionals who are in possession of the evidence gathered so far and our approach is based on:
- ensuring the reliability of the grades that we award, so that universities and other users of the grades can continue to trust them
- minimising the distress and disruption caused to students by the theft of the paper.
We will share detailed information with schools about the approach to be taken following this leak by Friday 22 May.
We understand how disappointing it will be to read this news. The nature and level of the exam paper theft we are seeing in this exam series is unprecedented. The criminals behind this theft seek to undermine examinations and the futures of the students who depend on them. We are pursuing several legal routes to stop and punish those responsible.
Our priority is to ensure that students are not disadvantaged by this incident, and we continue to take all possible measures to protect the integrity of our exams. It is important that candidates continue to prepare for, and take, upcoming exams.
The Cambridge International AS & A Level results release date of 11 August remains unchanged.
While we do not comment on individual reports of paper leaks, we investigate all allegations. This example notwithstanding, leaks of papers remain rare and where there is a genuine issue, we update schools at the right time and provide recommended next steps. We ask people only to trust official statements from Cambridge and not add to misinformation which is very unhelpful for students.
We thank all our students and schools for their patience and ask them to await the updates.
*Africa, Europe, Middle East, Pakistan and South Asia regions, plus Cambodia, parts of Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.