Cambridge lets Pakistani students peek at their exam scripts for free
Cambridge students stage a protest outside the Karachi Press Club against what they termed ‘average marking’ in their AS and A levels papers in August, 2023. Photo: Express
Unlike the country's official educational boards, Cambridge International Examinations has, for the first time, started the process of showing answer scripts to Pakistani students.
In a step taken in accordance with principles of transparency, O and A Level students will now be able to view their answer scripts online and, after reviewing them, decide whether to apply for scrutiny of their copies. Notably, the process of viewing the answer scripts will be completely free of charge.
This move was announced by the Country Manager for Cambridge International in Pakistan, Uzma Yousuf, during her visit to Karachi while speaking to media representatives. Cambridge's Marketing Communication Manager, Arsalan Rabbani, was also present on the occasion.
It is worth noting that the rules of educational boards across all provinces, including Sindh, do not allow students to view their answer sheets at matriculation or intermediate levels. Providing more details, Yousuf said that all Cambridge-affiliated schools have been given access to exam copies for every subject of their enrolled students.
Now, any student who wishes to see their scripts may visit their school and view them. If they deem it necessary, they can apply for scrutiny. Yousuf noted that this process will be entirely free of charge for students, and Cambridge will not charge any fees from schools either.
In response to a question, the country manager stated that Pakistan has the highest number of Cambridge students enrolled worldwide at the O and A Level, with the number reaching up to 130,000. She revealed that the United States of America ranks second in the number of enrolled students, followed by China, India, and Dubai.
Further, Yousuf noted that there are about 800 schools affiliated with Cambridge in Pakistan. Regarding the affiliation of specific government schools in Sindh with Cambridge, she mentioned that discussions have taken place with Sindh's Education Minister, Sardar Shah.
It has reportedly been decided that the first step will be to move forward with teacher training. In this regard, the education minister reportedly noted that there is an institution for teacher training in Sindh, which is a positive development for the progression of affiliation and integration with Cambridge.