Five students have been disqualified from their maths A-level and 30 are under investigation after one of the summer exam papers was found to have leaked.

An investigation by exam board Pearson discovered that questions from the test were being sold on social media just hours before it took place on 22 June.

The person believed to be behind the scheme has been given a lifetime ban from Pearson-run exams, but more than two dozen students could end up facing punishment for their alleged involvement.

It means they face an even more anxious wait for their results, which are due to be released on Thursday.

Derek Richardson, vice president and senior responsible officer at Pearson, insisted that it was only "a very small number of students" that had access to the questions in advance.


Image: A-level results day is this week. File pic

In an update to schools and colleges posted, he wrote: "Following the examination, we were alerted to the apparent sale of images of questions from the paper in the early hours of the day via two closed social media applications.

"There is no evidence to show that they were publicly available before the examination, but after the paper had been sat individuals posted images of the sharing of the secure content on publicly accessible platforms.

"We have disqualified five students and are currently investigating a further 30 with regards to their involvement. Their results will be withheld until these investigations are completed."

Police are also investigating the leak.

The letter from Mr Richardson - sent on Monday - adds that the board is committed to ensuring students get fair results, and that they should not be worried about grade boundaries being affected by the leak.

"I want to express my sincere regret if this situation has caused anxiety for any of your students, teachers or parents and I am very grateful for your patience and understanding over this exam season," the letter states.

"It is regrettable that the actions of a tiny number of individuals have added to the stress of this year's exams for a much larger number of students, their parents, carers and teachers."

Despite the issue, it is unlikely the UK will go quite as far as Algeria when it comes to clamping down on cheating during exam season.

Back in June, the country's government cut internet access nationwide for two hours to coincide with the start of two high school diploma tests.