Update 12 May 2026
Advice for students on online scams and fake exam papers
Fake exam scams are becoming more frequent and more convincing. This guidance sets out what students need to know to recognise them, avoid them, and report them.
Increasing reports of exam-related scams
There has been a recent increase in false claims involving fake or 'leaked' exam papers, particularly on social media platforms, WhatsApp groups, and online pages. These claims often appear during exam season, when students may be feeling pressure or anxiety. Digital misinformation is real, and it spreads quickly. Scammers deliberately exploit exam stress to mislead students and families. The harm is not limited to the few who commit malpractice: the spread of misinformation may cause distress for students across the board.
Serious consequences of cheating or malpractice
Those who cheat or engage with fake paper sellers face serious consequences, including the withholding of results, disqualification from exams or being banned from taking exams for up to five years. Cambridge pursues those who create, sell, or share confidential materials and penalties include permanent disqualification and referral to law enforcement. Spreading false information online may be a criminal offence in many countries, carrying penalties including imprisonment. It is not worth risking your future for a rumour.
The reality behind 'leaked' exam papers
Accounts claiming to sell or guarantee access to exam papers are almost always scams and are always illegal. These materials are often completely fake, recycled from old exams with changed dates and text, nothing more.
Be cautious of content that is sensational or urgent, promises guaranteed questions or answers, or pressures you to act quickly or pay secretly. These are strong warning signs of fraud or disinformation.
Why you should not engage or share
Looking for, sharing, selling, or engaging with confidential exam content is not allowed, even accidentally — it’s malpractice. If a classmate shows you a "leaked" paper, do not share it, as this can also lead to your disqualification as well as other more serious legal consequences. Exam fairness protects the value of every student’s hard work.
Your best advantage is genuine preparation. Focus on understanding concepts, practising with trusted resources, and using past papers from official channels.
Integrity protects your results and your future.
What to do if you see something suspicious
If you encounter posts or accounts claiming to sell or share exam papers:
- do not engage or share the content
- report the account or post to the platform immediately using their reporting function*
- inform your teacher or Head of Centre so your school can guide you.
You are not 'snitching' — you are preventing scammers from making money, helping to protect your school community and keeping exams fair for everyone.
Guidance for parents and families
Parents and guardians play an important role in ensuring exam integrity. Talk to your child about fair exams. Encourage them not to look for, share, sell, or view exam paper content and to stay alert to fraudulent sellers targeting families with false promises. Parents should also avoid engaging with any fraudulent content themselves.
We recognise that the exam season is already a stressful and emotionally demanding time for students. Rumours and misinformation add to that pressure and can impact student wellbeing, increase anxiety, and distract learners from maintaining focus on their preparation and examinations. Your support in keeping the disruption out is important.
You can also support your children with calm, structured revision routines and encourage rest, balance, and the use of trusted learning resources. Visit our wellbeing during exams page.
We wish all our students every success in their studies.
Working together to protect students
We work with social media platforms, websites and relevant law enforcement authorities to remove content and clamp down on individuals and groups who commit theft of papers, malpractice and attempt to defraud students.
Together, communities — students, schools and parents — can keep exams safe and fair.
*If you encounter posts or accounts claiming to sell or share exam papers, contact us at info@cambridgeinternational.org
7 May 2026
Cambridge International AS Level Mathematics question paper (9709/12), taken in our administrative zones 3 and 4 on 29 April*, was shared prematurely against our strict regulations. The extent of sharing means we cannot use this paper to award final exam results. We are therefore cancelling this paper, and it will not be used to generate results through calculated assessment.
We know how frustrating and disappointing this incident has been for affected students, their families and schools. Students work incredibly hard to prepare for, and take exams, and we value the trust placed in us to deliver fair results at the end of the exam process.
Like many other exam boards, we regularly receive reports of exam paper leaks, and the vast majority of them are fake. These false reports typically originate from fraudsters claiming to have exam papers for sale to deceive students financially. We monitor social media channels routinely, focusing on any posts offering to share and/or to sell question papers. We work proactively with website and social media platforms to monitor content, and our Legal and Compliance teams investigate each claim. We then take robust legal action in pursuing illegal sharing. We encourage all students to continue focusing on their exams, and we would like to assure them that the actions we take are in the best interest of Cambridge students.
Next steps for Cambridge International AS Level Mathematics (9709/12)
Our priority is to make sure students are not disadvantaged by the wilful malpractice of a few. As part of our investigation, Cambridge’s senior assessment experts have taken the decision that a new version of the exam paper should be sat by all candidates in the affected regions.
A replacement paper will ensure fair outcomes for all students and will deliver grades that are trusted by universities and other stakeholders. This approach aligns with the wishes of many school leaders to whom we have spoken. We are committed to making the replacement exam process as straightforward as possible.
What this means in practice
The replacement paper for Mathematics (9709/12) will take place as part of the June series timetable on Tuesday 9 June and will not incur an additional charge for candidates or schools. The Cambridge International AS & A Level results release date of 11 August remains unchanged.
We will share detailed information with schools about when and how they will receive question papers by 15 May, and the steps to follow to run the replacement question paper, as well as frequently asked questions. This will include information on withdrawals from June 2026, and entries for November 2026.
Our commitment to exam security
The theft of this paper is the subject of an active investigation, and we are working closely with relevant law enforcement authorities and other partners to identify those responsible. Cambridge applies sanctions to those who share or misuse confidential exam materials, including permanent disqualification from its 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.
*Africa, Europe, Middle East, Pakistan and South Asia regions, plus Cambodia, parts of Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
30 April 2026
We can confirm that Cambridge International AS Level Mathematics Paper 12 (9709) taken in our Africa, Europe, Middle East, Pakistan and South Asia regions, was shared prematurely against our regulations. We investigate such incidents promptly and thoroughly and we are now working to understand the extent of the leak and determine next steps.
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.
Our decisions about the next steps are taken by senior and experienced professionals who are in possession of all the facts and our principles are:
- 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 take the impact of incidents such as this on students extremely seriously. We value the trust placed in us to deliver over two million exams each year in 160 countries and provide fair results. It remains rare for the integrity of an exam to be compromised, and we take appropriate sanctions against centres and students where we have evidence of malpractice.
We thank all our students and schools for their patience and ask them to await further updates.