The International Baccalaureate body will review time zone arrangements after exam papers were leaked. Photo: HandoutThe International Baccalaureate (IB) body has vowed to evaluate its time zone arrangements for tests. The decision comes after questions were leaked online before some students took the exam earlier this year between April and May.
But the IB Organisation refused to reveal how many candidates were penalised after it confirmed a small number of students appeared to have engaged in time zone cheating.
IB candidates in Hong Kong called the action taken by the assessment authorities poor. They are urging the organisation to arrange for students in Asian and European time zones to take different tests to ensure fairness in the future.
More than 190,000 IB candidates who sat the exam in May around the world will receive their results this Saturday.
The organisation sent an email to candidates dated May 3, when the time-zone cheating came to light; it was also seen by the SCMP. The body said it was aware some students shared information about questions immediately after their exams.
Time zone cheating occurs when students complete their exams and share what they remember about the questions online before those in other time zones take the test.
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The organisation said it identified a number of students who had driven these social posts relating to the leaked paper. It was working with their schools to commence formal investigations. It also pledged to review time zone arrangements for subsequent tests.
“The IB is already part way through innovations to minimise the impact of any such behaviour by students, for example imposing formal start times for exams in each country and moving to having three exam zones across the world. We will of course review these after analysis of behaviours we see this year,” it said.
Another email on May 4 sent out by Matt Glanville, director of assessment of IB, said the mathematics analysis and approaches higher level exam was a particular cause of concern. A document, which was downloaded more than 10,000 times, contained suggestions on how to answer the questions and was published hours ahead of when western Europe’s students sat for the test.
“We are carefully analysing all the comments and questions to identify any unusual approaches, which if repeated in an exam may be an indication that a student has seen or utilised this material,” Glanville said.
In the exam that was offered between April 24 and May 17, some students in Europe claimed that they read leaked questions and answers provided on a Telegram channel before taking their exams. Others in Asia said the leak happened after they sat the test.
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.
The leaks triggered widespread outrage and calls from students for tests to be cancelled or taken again.
At the time, the organisation said it had discovered a small number of students had engaged in “time zone cheating” but that there was “no evidence” the practice was widespread.
Carlos* is an IB candidate studying at one of the schools under the English Schools Foundation in Hong Kong. He said the organisation should consider how to make it fairer for students in the Asian time zone as they were being negatively affected by the cheating.
“By having students in Asian and European time zones take different tests, the organisation can create a more equitable and secure system. This approach would eliminate the potential for time zone cheating and ensure that all IB students are assessed on a level playing field,” he said.
Alice*, an IB candidate from Hong Kong, said most students in the Asian time zone were emotionally distressed and found the organisation’s action “terrible”.
“They have a responsibility to limit the effect of time zone cheating … They could have split papers and used backup papers … to jump on this issue immediately to split up time zones more adequately. But they didn’t, and were arrogant in their response to this situation,” she said.
“To my knowledge, the biggest leaks are maths and chemistry. Maths is a compulsory paper for the full IDBP diploma. Three out of four maths papers were leaked. Apparently 15,000 students gained access to papers that kids in Asia didn’t have access to before the exam,” she added.
The Swiss-based two-year IB diploma is an internationally-recognised certificate for university entrance.
The SCMP reached out to the organisation for further comment but was referred to the earlier press release.
*Names changed at interviewees’ request