The facts are quite straightforward - some of the questions from the Cambridge A Level papers were leaked before the exams by the BlackPapers.info (& its Facebook group) & given that news travels faster than light, in almost no time, students all over the world had already started studying/discussing out their solutions - including Mauritius. :P
Cambridge for not doing enough to secure its papers - but it's also quite obvious that it's easier to get hold of a paper in say Pakistan rather than in Mauritius. & then there's the time difference...
Update: We've got our culprit - CIE. How can you expect the papers not to be leaked if there's a massive 12h time difference between exams held in Malaysia & those in Mauritius. Either Cambridge didn't know the existence of the Internet till now or they are just way too incompetent. & the problem is ever worse because only in Mauritius, students compete for scholarship...
What can be done?
This is an international problem & the natural solution would be to hold new exams for all leaked papers. But that's easier said than done - I'm sure Cambridge has a hoard of substitute papers, but re-organising an internationally coordinated exam is no easy task. It'll also depend on the number of students who took advantage of the leak – how can you distinguish between someone who cheated & someone who worked really well?
Students?
For those who didn't get wind of the leak, I'm really sorry for them. For those who managed to cheat, congrats, you've passed! ...well, if only Cambridge doesn't cancel those papers!
In case of re-organising the exams, that'll be a second lifeline for everyone. But having to study all over again sucks as well - not to mention the whole ordeal you'll have to go through.
Personally I think Cambridge will let it go. BUT why didn't this happen while I was doing HSC?!? :@
To be honest, I did search for leaked papers, but with my dial-up, I couldn't do anything & AFAIK there were no leaks. Only Physics practical experiments could be predicted from available equipment.
Dife-Media have also posted something about this on their website…
De grosses fuites dans les épreuves du HSC sur l’Internet
Un autre scandale bouleverse le déroulement des examens du Higher School Certificate. De grosses fuites ont été découvertes dans les épreuves suivantes : Physique (Papier 2), mathématiques, et chimie. De nombreux étudiants du HSC ont eu accès au blog de Blackpaper.info où les discussions ont lieu au sujet des épreuves de Cambridge. Ce blog a été visité par de centaines d’étudiants mauriciens, ils ont chatté avec des collégiens du Pakistan, de la Malaisie et de la Nouvelle Zélande.
Ce matin, ils se sont retrouvés en face des mêmes numéros discutés la veille sur leurs questionnaires en salle d’examen. Le Mauritius Examinations Syndicate (MES) est dans la tourmente. Lucien Finette a réuni d’urgence ses officiers. Un comité se penche sur ces fuites afin de trouver des solutions pour que les étudiants ne soient pas pénalisés.
« Nous avons informé Cambridge de la situation après avoir compilé toutes les preuves au sujet de ces fuites », a-t-il déclaré sur les ondes de Radio Plus.
Le directeur du MES a reçu des étudiants d’un prestigieux établissement de la capitale. Ils demandent aux autorités de réagir pour qu’ils ne soient pas pénalisés. Le ministre de l’Education qui suit de près cette affaire attend les premières conclusions de l’enquête du MES pour annoncer la marche à suivre. « Nous ferons tout pour protéger les étudiants », rassure Vasant Bunwaree.
Yoven, étudiant en HSC et fréquentant un collège de la capitale, témoigne : « Un ami m’a envoyé un message sur le facebook. On a discuté du papier la veille et le lendemain j’ai constaté en salle d’examen que les questionnaires sont identiques », avoue-t-il.
In their race for sensationalism, they didn’t even get the right address – it’s Blackpapers.info, not Blackpaper.info & it’s definitely a forum, not a blog! LMAO! :D
& why don’t just say RCPL, instead of “un prestigieux établissement de la capitale.”
Update:
S4ndeep has also posted: HSC PAPERS LEAKED!
Blog reactions:
Shah - Vasant - Please, SHUT THE FRAK UP!
Tushal - Bet now..Facebook to be banned?
Tushal - Are they right or wrong?
IslandCrisis - The Fraking Government of Mauritius To Ban Facebook??
Kailash - Overwhelmed by web 2.0
Web Design Bureau - Facebook ban in Mauritius?
Priscus - Shame on Kambridge
S4ndeep - Cheaters Are going to be TrackedDown!
Avinash - The Cambridge International Examinations is at fault
Priscus - Papers leaked out so what?
S4ndeep - The Situation so far | Summed up.
Priscus - Fiasco HSC 2008
Pascalg - Cambridge A Level Exams Leak … in an exam crazy nation
Joseph - HSC 2008 Exams
Papers:
L'Express - Tricheries aux examens du HSC
DiféMedia - Leakage of HSC exam papers
Please don't spam & don't swear!
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hey bro need your help concerning domain registration.just bought one but not able to transfer it to blogspot
@Joyshan
You might check these tuts out on BloggerBuster:
Link1
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Bet now..How much chance is there that facebook gets banned by ICTA?
http://tushal.wordpress.com/2008/11/13/bet-nowfacebook-to-be-banned/
@tushal
I give it 50% chance for Facebook & BlackPapers.info being blocked.
About Facebook, I have no idea how they'll manage to block that group without blocking the whole site. :S
FRAK CENSORSHIP!
Tips for the authorities.
Next time..Make into note the time difference..xD
@tushal
LOL :D DST pwns! :P
I hold Cambridge responsible...
You pay them for the exams, they should be in control of the situation regarding security and other isses!
Facebook is just a medium of communication.
If they think about banning facebook, then we should not be living in a cyber island!
We have to start sugarcane plantations everywhere in Ebene!
Shame to the authorities in case this happens!
@Yashvin
That's true. Cambridge should have done more to prevent leaks from happening.
Banning Facebook is completely useless - you can never stop the flow of information. & yeah, I'll be big step backwards for Mauritius if Facebook is blocked. FRAK CENSORSHIP! :(
Heylo..
lol, actually while reading this, evn i hd same reaction as urs:
y this didnt happened while i ws dng my SC or HSC :P?
:)
Oh god..Mauritians..xD
This is happening during my year, and trust me, right now, I'm not really feeling that it's great.
@bbZush
Oops! Honestly I've no idea how they'll amend for this injustice, except reset those papers - which is the worst case scenario! :(
Its totally the fault of the damn greasing Cambridge!! Facebook got nothing in this and I don't even condemn BlackPapers!! They have the right to share information! Its cambridge who must ensure that the questions are different! Why didnt I got these when i was in hsc? :P
THE FUCKI*G GOVERNMENT TO BAN FACEBOOK
hi carrot,
thanks buddy, i knew about blogger buster but i was in a rush when i bought the domain so the need to consult the guide did not come in my mine but now its ok, i have repaired everything and i am going the amanda`s way... thanks for that help..my blog will be soon online now at metalikacrew.com...make sure you amend your blogroll..lolzz, concerning the hsc paper i will be writing something about it!
salutations!
joyshan
The government has no right to block Facebook in Mauritius…. If CAMBRIDGE hasn’t been able to fulfill its responsibility as examiner,,, Facebook cannot be blame for that… They shud have devise theories to prevent leakage of exam papers specially in this world of high technology… It’s something they should have thought of earlier….
If government of MAuritius can't do things for younsters then they have no rite to do things against them....
Anywazzz information sharing is not an illegal thing i guess!!!!
wen i did my HSC...i remember the invigilators taking the questionnaires and returning them the next day(24hrs)....if they did that in malaysia i guess ther would have been no prob...as simple as that
Screw gov of uk + cambridge!!!! who the hell are they to ban facebook in mauritius.There are many corrupted people in mauritius itself. Like the PM was involved in Macarena!! Why not ban him?? Why not ban people who commit crime/kill people?? Why not ban sugar/meat/cakes which promote obesity/blood pressure/diabetes????
elo...
wel first of al... its not gr8 aby watever is hapening... n the entire BLAME GOES TO CAMBRIDGE!!!!! N y blame facebook????!!!! facebuk as already mentions is a source for communication n btw the students didnt post the whole paper but just dicuss the issues..n those hu have benefitd from it, is their luck...! Cambrigde should have set different questions for each country, thats ALL!!! ITS not bkoz of its carelessness that facebook shud b banned!!!! its high time for justice!!
@sleepoholic
Yeah, I do remember we used to get our papers the next day. & I guess that's still being done today... except you do still remember what questions you attempted on that day, right? So that's what exactly happened - the papers weren't really leaked - but Malaysian students who sat for the exams posted what topics/questions they got. :)
& the more funny thing is that whoever leaked those questions posted it under their own name on Facebook. LOL :D
blackpapers.info owns.
may god bless the site.
we are with you BP!!!
Ok, I've set up an open space on my blog for HSC students to express themselves on the subject:
http://www.webdesign-bureau-of-mauritius.com/open-space-for-2008-hsc-students/
We got our indepedence but we are still the english dogs
well they nev leaked it they neva moderated facebook group and nothing was leaked! just discussion and gueses were going on this is oemthing media took hold of and exaggerated ;) afetr all its all abt selling their paper!
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