A-Level Paper Leak Rocks Karachi

KARACHI: While the leaking of Matric and Intermediate board examination papers has become a recurring issue in Karachi, it has now been revealed that A-Level exam papers are also being compromised, ARY News reported.

According to details, the A-Level (A-Level First Year) Mathematics paper was leaked the night before the scheduled exam.

The paper surfaced online between 3:00 AM and 4:00 AM and was reportedly sold on the social media platform Reddit.

The leaked Mathematics paper quickly went viral, spreading from Reddit to various WhatsApp groups.

Cambridge International Education (CIE) has acknowledged reports of the alleged question paper leak and confirmed that an investigation is underway, adding that further information would be shared after the June 2026 examination series.

In an official statement, CIE said: “We are aware of news about a reported leak of a question paper. We investigate such reports thoroughly.”

CIE further stated that any necessary updates would be communicated to examination centres either during or after the completion of the June 2026 examination..

Earlier today, the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) has claimed that it successfully foiled an attempt to leak a question paper during the ongoing inter exams.

According to BIEK Chairman Fakir Muhammad Lakho, the first phase of the annual intermediate examinations began on Wednesday.

The exams cover students of classes 11 and 12 across various groups, including Pre-Engineering, Pre-Medical, Science General, Home Economics, Arts (Regular and Private), special candidates, diploma in Physical Education, and grade improvement.

He said that more than 160,000 students are participating in the examinations being held at 175 examination centres across the city in morning and evening shifts.

For the first time, a digital attendance monitoring system has been introduced to improve transparency and supervision. Additionally, board officials are present inside examination centres during the papers, and a dedicated monitoring application is being used for real-time oversight.

Lakho further stated that 21 examination centres have been declared highly sensitive. To ensure fairness, science papers will be conducted using e-marking and OMR systems, while efforts are underway to fully automate the examination system next year.

The chairman also confirmed that, due to extreme heat, Rescue 1122 services have been engaged to assist during examinations. Complaint cells have been established at deputy commissioner offices in all districts of the city.

He added that the examination process will continue until June 15, 2026.

Paper leak attempt
Meanwhile, the BIEK spokesperson rejected social media claims regarding a leaked question paper of Intermediate Part-II Botany.

The spokesperson clarified that the Botany paper was shared on WhatsApp groups approximately half an hour after the exam began, and therefore it cannot be termed a “paper leak.”

Investigations revealed that the paper was sent from a government degree college examination centre in Konkar Village, Gadap, by a girl student using a mobile phone.

The board’s control room team identified the examination centre through watermark tracking on the paper and immediately contacted the vigilance officer, Hina Shaikh.

The vigilance officer acted promptly, conducted a search of the students, and recovered a mobile phone containing the paper from a girl student.

The examination centre administration has prepared a case against the student in accordance with rules and forwarded it to BIEK for further disciplinary action.

The board reiterated its zero-tolerance policy against cheating, illegal means, and violations of examination rules, stating that strict action will continue against any such attempts.