How the VCE exams cheat sheet scandal was uncovered by the Herald Sun

There are often claims of leaks during VCE exams, but this year the talk was more persistent and specific than usual.

There are often rumours of ­secret cheat sheets or intel on VCE exams, with stressed students grasping on to the possibility of last minute boosts to their performance.

They nearly always turn out to be untrue, but this year the talk was more persistent and specific than usual.

Most stunning was the claim that the first Specialist Maths exam, held on November 11, had a question almost identical to one somehow ­accessed beforehand by some students.

Teachers were struck by the coincidence, but still thought it was likely to be a hoax.

After two years of errors, even the trouble-plagued Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority could not be so dumb, they mused.

Nonetheless, a couple of educators raised the possibility with the Herald Sun after the exam amid chatter from students online about it.

Rumours of leaks were more persistent and specific than usual.

Before revealing one of the biggest exam bungles in Victorian education history, the Herald Sun asked the VCAA about whether there was “hidden data” in cover sheet guides.

The lack of urgency in its response suggested it was not true.

However, a chance conversation with another teacher the following day changed the story abruptly.

The teacher had become concerned, downloaded a copy of another subject’s cover sheet, and was able to confirm the leaked content was markedly similar to that of the exam.

The teacher raised their alarm with the VCAA and, disturbingly, was told there were no issues.

The Herald Sun hit the phones and soon discovered a multitude of other teachers raising similar concerns about suspicious leaks.

They were apparently brushed aside, too.

After the phone call, the Herald Sun started downloading past copies of exam cover sheets using the Wayback Machine – an online archival tool – which illuminated a range of leaked questions hidden in plain sight.

The next day the Herald Sun trawled through more than 100 VCE subject cover sheets, cutting and pasting to reveal the embedded questions.

They found 22 examples, including Specialist maths, Business Management and Legal Studies. More teachers were able to help comparing the leaks with the real exams that had already been sat.

An urgent media inquiry was placed with the VCAA that involved possible leaks in dozens of exams, but was met with silence on Wednesday, November 13.

By about 4pm, with the story ready to go live, the Herald Sun was granted a confidential briefing with VCAA chief executive Kylie White.

The exact comments cannot be divulged, but Ms White refused to acknowledge there were any leaked questions, despite clear evidence to the contrary.

The VCAA’s media statement, which came through a few hours later, was similarly bland and dismissive.

A “spokesman” said students could be “reassured about the quality of the exams”, though it did acknowledge “sample material was inadvertently included” on the cover sheets.

Once the story broke on the Herald Sun website that evening, the list of compromised final exams started mounting and soon would include Product Design, Geography, Art, Global Politics, VCE Applied Computing, Software Development, Food Studies and System Engineering.

Others, such as Psychology, English Language and Music were rewritten, but badly, with clumsy questions and material not in the study design.

While students fumed and teachers raged as the extent of the leaks became known, Ms White told students to “focus on your exams” and be confident of the VCAA’s integrity.

Education Minister Ben Carroll, who had his first “high-level” briefing on the issue only after the issue was put in the spotlight by the Herald Sun, admitted he’d known about it since October 14.

VCAA chief Kylie White resigned on Monday.

As a Herald Sun TikTok outlining how students could access the leaked questions hit 400,000 views, Mr Carroll announced on November 14 that “students deserve better” and ordered a full review.

There was nothing new from the VCAA on that day, with a spokeswoman insisting its previous statement stood.

But the seriousness of the leaks, and the outrage and upset from students, could not be neatly spun, and less than 72 hours later Ms White was forced to resign from her plum $380,000 job.

It wasn’t the bungle, but the cover-up and the tone-deaf crisis management that sealed her fate.

Pressure remains on Mr Carroll, who on Monday outlined steps he would take on marking the affected exams.

Ms White losing her job means Mr Carroll will possibly keep his, but he’s yet to face a gruelling potential Ombudsman’s inquiry, not to mention questioning in parliament.

Quite rightly, they will no doubt centre on why he did not pay attention for a whole month to a serious leak putting the integrity of the VCE exam system in jeopardy, and did not act until it was ­revealed by the Herald Sun.

Originally published as How the VCE exams cheat sheet scandal was uncovered by the Herald Sun