Kolkata: The Madhyamik 2025 exams, which ended on Saturday, have revealed a new method of cheating using Artificial Intelligence (AI). For the first time, a student was caught using an AI app to solve maths problems during the exam.
The exams began on February 10, and from the very first day some students were found with electronic devices. The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) cancelled the exams of 20 students, 19 for carrying mobile phones and one caught with a smartwatch.
According to Board officials, six of the 19 students with mobiles had pictures of question papers on their phones. Further investigation revealed that three sent these images to private tutors, one to a senior, and another to a friend’s ‘special friend’. The sixth student relied on an AI-powered app to solve the questions.
A student from South Kolkata’s Badartala High School, appearing at Bartala High School, was caught with a mobile phone during the mathematics examination on February 15. The candidate had sent pictures of the question paper to an AI app, which solved the equations for the candidate.
However, Board officials noted a decline in exam-related cheating compared to last year. In 2024, 43 students were caught with mobile phones and had their exams cancelled, whereas this year, the number dropped significantly.
Also, there were no reports of question papers being leaked on social media. Officials credited these improvements to stronger security measures, including serial-numbered watermarks on question papers, and regular awareness campaigns.
A controversy also arose in Malda, where the District Inspector (DI) of Schools (Secondary), allegedly handled exam duties despite his ward appearing for the Madhyamik exam. This violates WBBSE rules, which require officials in such cases to inform the Board in advance and step away from exam-related responsibilities. The Board has asked him to clarify the matter within seven days.
The Officer-in-Charge of the main exam venue, which oversees the sub-venue where the DI’s ward appeared, has also been asked to submit a report.
This year, 9,84,753 students from 9,145 schools took the Madhyamik exams at 2,683 centres. As per a Supreme Court directive, the results will be announced within 90 days. Last year, the results were published within 74 days.
WBBSE president Ramanuj Ganguly expressed satisfaction over the smooth conduct of the exams and thanked students, guardians, schools, and the state administration for their cooperation.
“We hope all students performed well. The results will be published on time,” he said.