Cambridge International Education (CIE) on Thursday cancelled the “prematurely shared” mathematics exam, announcing that it will conduct a new version of the exam for affected regions on June 9.
On April 30, CIE confirmed that its AS-level mathematics paper was “shared prematurely” against its regulations. It said that the exam paper was for the Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Pakistan and South Asia regions.
CIE, in a statement, said that “Cambridge’s senior assessment experts have decided that a new version of the Mathematics (9709/12) exam paper will be sat by all candidates in the affected regions”.
CIE noted that the previous exam paper could not be used to award final exam results and “will not be used to generate results through calculated assessment”.
As per the statement, the replacement exam will “ensure fair outcomes for students and deliver grades that are trusted by universities and other stakeholders”.
CIE announced that the new exam will take place on June 9 (Tuesday), “as part of the June series timetable”.
“This approach aligns with the views of many school leaders we have consulted,” the statement said.
“We are committed to making the replacement examination process as straightforward as possible,” added CIE.
The UK-based examination board further stated that there will be no additional charge for the candidates or the school, and the result date — August 11 — remained unchanged.
“We will share detailed information with you about when and how you will receive question papers by May 15, and the steps you must follow to run the replacement question paper, as well as frequently asked questions,” the statement said.
“This will include information on withdrawals from June 2026 and entries for November 2026.”
The examination body also acknowledged how “frustrating and disappointing” the development has been for students and their families.
“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,” CIE said.
It further said that Cambridge International was conducting an “active investigation” into the matter.
“We are working closely with relevant law enforcement agencies and other partners to identify those responsible,” the statement said.
Cambridge imposes strict sanctions on anyone found to have shared or misused confidential exam materials, including permanent disqualification from Cambridge qualifications and exams, said the statement.
The examination body added that they “regularly” receive false news of reports of paper leaks; however, it added that “the majority of them are false”.
The examination board elaborated that it routinely monitored “social media and other online channels for posts offering to share or sell question papers”.
It added that CIE worked with social media platforms to “identify and remove such content”.
“Our legal and compliance teams investigate every credible report, and we take robust legal action against those involved in the illegal sharing,” CIE said, stressing that it is not the policy to “comment on individual reports of paper leaks” and that it instead updates schools.
“Our priority is to ensure that students are not disadvantaged by the wilful malpractice of a few,” CIE said, encouraging students to focus on their remaining examinations.
