Students sitting for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), akin to Class 12, have been accused of contemporary cheating. Following their exams, students reportedly memorized math questions and shared them on social platforms, potentially aiding peers in different time zones yet to sit for the tests. This act breaches regulations as students aren't permitted to take question papers home.
Mathematics exams, spanning two hours each, occurred on May 1 and 2. The leak came to light on May 3, following tests conducted across three time zones. While the IB Board acknowledged the issue, they have not disclosed the source country of the leak. However, principals in Mumbai suspect the content was uploaded from Turkey.
According to a report of TOI, the time difference suggests that Indian students were less likely to benefit, but those in Hong Kong, Singapore, Europe, and the Americas might have. This is the first instance of a paper leak in the over 55-year history of the Switzerland-based board.
Although the International Baccalaureate (IB) Board has established policies to combat academic misconduct like plagiarism and ghostwriting, the issue of "time zone cheating" has not been previously addressed.