Explainer | ‘Time-zone cheating’ has sparked outcry among pupils sitting IB exams in Hong Kong and overseas. So what’s the solution?
- International Baccalaureate Organization launches inquiry after exams already taken in some time zones, including Hong Kong, appeared online
- Pupils in Europe claim they read questions and answers from links shared on social media site Telegram before they took exams, but after Asia had taken them
Controversy over leaked International Baccalaureate (IB) exam papers erupted this week on online forums and social media platforms, sparking an outcry from pupils, including those from Hong Kong, that some might have seen the questions and answers before they sat the tests.
The International Baccalaureate Organization said the leaks were related to “time-zone cheating” and that a probe into the incident would be launched.
Here the Post explains what happened with this year’s international exams, taken by an average of 170,000 pupils every year.
1. What happened to this year’s IB exam?
Some pupils in Europe have claimed that they read leaked questions and answers provided on a Telegram channel before taking their exams, while others in Asia have said the leak happened after they sat the test.
The exams started on April 24 and run until May 17. The leaks triggered widespread outrage and calls from pupils, including Hongkongers, for tests to be cancelled or taken again.
The Post earlier found leaked questions and answers for mathematics papers from links circulated on the online forum Reddit.
Screenshots were also found of a Telegram channel that contained links to questions for business management, global politics, mathematics, physics, computer science, biology and chemistry.
