The police have arrested two peoplefollowing a leak of an Edexcel A level mathematicspaper earlier this month.
Pearson - the company that owns the Edexcel exam board - said it hadbeen informed by the police that they had arrested two individuals and were detaining them for questioning.
How the story broke:Edexcel investigating A-level maths exam leak
Police probe:Investigation into ‘criminal’ A-level maths leak
Read:Exam cheating commission wants to‘future proof’ the system
Earlier this month Tes broke the newsof the leak - and thatphotos were circulated on Twitter of the exam paper the night beforestudents were due to take it,accompanied bytweets offering the whole paper for £70.
It was the third time Edexcel’s A-level maths paper had been leaked in three years.
The leak is believed to have taken place at a London school or college, with theMetropolitan Policeinvestigating the incidentas a “criminal matter”.
Today, Sharon Hague, senior vice-president of schools at Pearson Edexcel, said:“We understand students are rightfully concerned and want a fair playing field. The actions we have taken to strengthen our security processes have enabled us, in conjunction with the police, to quickly identify those who we believe were involved in the breach and to take swift and immediate action.
“We are systematically working through all leads and, as we continue to investigate the suspects, this will enable us to further hone in on anyone that has gained an advantage, and take action accordingly. Our key priority is ensuring no students are disadvantaged in any way.”
“The UK exam system has strict controls in place, including security requirements on exam boards, logistics companies, schools, colleges, and their personnel. However, it is also built on a foundation of trust, that those given responsibility for the security of papershonour that trust. We are sorry that the actions of a small number of individuals have resulted in such a breach.
“We are limited in what we can say as the investigation is ongoing. However, we are committed to being transparent and we will provide more information as soon as we can.”
Last week,Edexcel also announcedit had replaced anA-level paper forfurther mathsafter concerns were raised of a second exam leak.
And it has emerged that a leak of an AQA GCSE religious studies paper last month is also being investigated by the police.
