28 Hong Kong students attain perfect score in IB exams amid time-zone cheating controversy

According to the foundation’s announcement on Saturday, the number of students attaining perfect scores this year increased from the 23 logged in 2023, a significant dip from 93 in 2022.

Earlier this year, those engaged in time-zone cheating leaked details about the exam papers on social media before students in other time zones took the test, sparking widespread outrage and calls from students, including Hongkongers, for tests to be cancelled or retaken.

The body running the IB diploma programme refused to reveal how many candidates were penalised after confirming a small number of students appeared to have engaged in time-zone cheating. It also claimed no students had been disadvantaged due to the actions of those who had cheated.

It also stressed that the scores would remain consistent with previous years and that grade boundaries would not be increased because of the incidents.

IB Director of Assessment Matt Glanville said the International Baccalaureate Organization was “confident” no students had been disadvantaged and acknowledged that significant stress had been caused by online speculation surrounding time-zone cheating.

“We want to assure you that despite these challenges, the meaning of grades remains consistent with previous years and grade boundaries have not been inflated. We are confident that no individual student has been disadvantaged by these circumstances,” Glanville said.

More than 190,000 IB candidates sitting the exam in May worldwide received their results for the IB’s Diploma Programme (DP) and Career-related Programme (CP) on Saturday.

Time-zone cheating occurs when students who have completed their exam papers share what they can recall from memory on social media before those in later time zones take the test.

In the exams sat between April 24 and May 17 this year, some students in Europe claimed they had read leaked questions and answers provided on a Telegram channel ahead of their tests. Others in Asia said the leak happened after they had sat the tests.

Screenshots of a Telegram channel that contained links to questions for various subjects were also found.

The leaks triggered widespread outrage and calls from students, including those from Hong Kong, for the tests to be cancelled or retaken.