Editorial | IB must regain trust by thwarting Hong Kong cheats
- The Swiss-based ruling body says it is investigating those who posted questions for university entrance exams online, revealing them to thousands of students in other time zones
Academic pressure has long been a worry in Hong Kong. It has given rise to concerns, compounded by the pandemic, about the mental health of pupils in an environment where perfect test scores are relentlessly pursued.
So there was understandable outrage when “time-zone cheating” was found amid the current round of one of the city’s leading university entrance exams. Authorities and test administrators must act to ensure fairness and restore trust.
The cheating involved exams for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. The Swiss-based body that runs the programme has said it is taking “appropriate and timely measures” to remove online posts featuring leaked questions.
Explicitly forbidden, the practice involves students who have taken an exam in other parts of the world sharing questions with candidates who have yet to sit the test.
The IB said “a very small number” of students were involved and there was no evidence the practice was widespread. It is worrying that the authority appears to be downplaying the scope of the problem.
