Berlin - Some 28,000 10th grade students in Berlin were forced to resit their final mathematics test on Monday after details of the original examination were leaked in advance. Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into how pupils came into possession of the questions at 87 of the 346 schools where the test took place on June 11.
Despite massive protests from students, a court in Berlin last week upheld the decision of the local education authority to go ahead with a new examination, saying it gave all pupils an equal chance.
Parents' groups Monday quoted teachers as saying the new examination was much more difficult that the first one.
Authorities believe someone leaked the original test up to two weeks before it took place, according to the daily Berliner Morgenpost, which quoted an unnamed student as saying questions were sold in school playgrounds for 10-15 euros (15-23 dollars).
The results were declared invalid and a new test set for June 23, although many students claimed it was unfair they had to go through the stress of final exams twice, especially as they were not among the cheats, the newspaper reported.
