Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) has announced a resolution following the investigation into leaked A-Level exam papers during the May/June 2025 session in Pakistan.
In a bid to uphold fairness and academic integrity, CAIE will award full marks for the specific questions that were compromised prior to the scheduled exams.
Following an internal investigation, the board has confirmed that selected questions from three A-Level papers were accessed prior to their scheduled administration.
In response, Cambridge has resolved to award full marks for the compromised questions to all candidates, ensuring that no student is unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged.
Details of the Paper Leaks:
CAIE identified that, contrary to its examination regulations, parts of the following question papers were shared before their official exam dates:
Cambridge International AS & A Level Mathematics Paper 12 – One question was leaked.
Cambridge International AS & A Level Mathematics Paper 42 – Parts of two questions were leaked.
Cambridge International AS & A Level Computer Science Paper 22 – Portions of one question were leaked.
The examination board confirmed that in each case, there was no evidence that the entire paper had been distributed.
Grading and Results
Despite the breach, Cambridge will issue final grades for all affected subjects as scheduled on 12 August 2025, in line with the published A-Level results release date.
These grades will remain fully valid for university admissions, both within Pakistan and internationally, and will be eligible for Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards.
To ensure the fairness and reliability of the grading process, CAIE will disregard the questions that were compromised and will assign full marks for these questions to all candidates who sat the exams. The remainder of each paper will be assessed as normal.
Ensuring Fairness and Integrity
CAIE stated that no candidates will be adversely affected by this decision. The organization emphasized its commitment to fairness and maintaining the integrity of its qualifications.
The approach taken is designed to ensure that no candidate benefits from prior access to exam content and that the qualification continues to be trusted by educational institutions worldwide.
The decision may result in a slight upward adjustment of total marks for some candidates, which will be taken into consideration during the grading process.
Ongoing Investigations and Future Measures
Cambridge has confirmed that multiple malpractice investigations are underway. The organization is treating the matter with the utmost seriousness and has pledged to take appropriate action against any individuals or centers found to be involved. Potential consequences include:
Deregistration of examination centers implicated in the breach.
Disqualification and examination bans for individual candidates involved in malpractice.
In addition, CAIE reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to exam security and announced that further enhancements to security protocols will be implemented before the next examination series.