Leak of Math Questions from Chinese University Entrance Exam... Authorities Investigate

Some Math Problem Photos Circulating on Weibo During Exam Time
120 People Including 12 Confirmed Cases Taking Exam in Separate Location

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] As the Gaokao (高考), taken by 11.93 million third-year high school students in China, has begun, reports of cheating have been received and authorities have launched an investigation. Gaokao, the Chinese version of the college scholastic ability test, is held nationwide over two days from the 7th to the 8th.

Photo by Global Times Capture

According to Chinese media including the official Xinhua News Agency on the 8th, the Chinese Ministry of Education started an investigation after some internet users claimed that Gaokao math questions were leaked.

Chinese media such as Xinhua News reported that the math exam was held the previous day, and shortly after the exam started, some math questions were posted on Weibo (the Chinese version of Twitter). It was claimed that the math question photos posted on Weibo matched the actual math questions.

There was also a claim that a netizen using the pseudonym Jang Ruirui posted at 15:48 offering money to anyone who solved the questions. The math exam was from 15:00 to 17:00.

The issue escalated after news spread that a student in Anlu City, Hubei Province, took photos of the math exam paper and leaked them outside the exam hall the previous evening. Even the Anlu City police got involved to verify the authenticity and confirmed the news was fake, but the noise about the math question leak has not easily subsided. Ultimately, the Chinese Ministry of Education referred the case to the police for investigation.

The Gaokao results can change lives. Every year during the exam season, China conducts large-scale crackdowns on cheating, but cheating has not disappeared easily.

On the 3rd, the Chinese Ministry of Education issued an urgent notice warning that cheating in exams is a serious legal violation. The Ministry introduced warning cases where examinees were caught taking photos of exam questions with smartphones and transmitting them externally, resulting in disqualification and loss of eligibility to take the exam.

Meanwhile, Chinese health authorities reported that 12 students who tested positive for COVID-19 took the exam at temporary locations the previous day, and 120 examinees in quarantine took the exam at separate locations set up in quarantine facilities. Chinese health authorities also banned parents from gathering outside exam halls on the 8th as part of COVID-19 prevention measures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.