Iraq scraps school exam results after answers leaked online

Iraq has cancelled the results of a school exam after answers to questions were leaked online despite authorities shutting down the internet during the test to prevent cheating.

Education Minister Mohammed Iqbal al-Saidali made the announcement on Sunday in a statement as students across the country have been sitting end-of-year exams.

"The results of the Islamic studies exam have been cancelled and a new date has been set for the exam," the statement said.

Saidali said that questions for the exam had been leaked and that a strict protocol had been sent to schools to crack down on cheating.

The move comes after authorities ordered telecom companies to shut down the internet in the country for several hours every day over the next two weeks in a bid to stop students looking up exam answers posted online.

An education official told The New Arab's Arabic-language service that cheating on the exams has been "rampant".

"There are senior officials involved in leaking questions and selling them. The ministry has begun an investigation into the matter," the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said.

Reports of questions and answers being posted onto social media pages have plagued the exam season across the Middle East in recent years.

This week, Algeria similarly suspended mobile and fixed internet services to prevent cheating during high school exams.