An international controversy over IELTS exam paper leaks has brought renewed focus on Bangladesh, following findings reported by British media and earlier investigations by Daily Sun.

British daily “The Telegraph” reported on Sunday (7 Dec) that thousands of migrants worldwide were wrongly cleared in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) due to a technical marking error.

Alongside the marking problem, the report highlighted organised cheating networks in several countries, including Bangladesh.

The issue affected listening and reading components of some IELTS Academic and General Training tests between August 2023 and September 2025.

Although IELTS authorities claimed the error affected only around 1% of tests, this still equals about 78,000 candidates globally.

According to The Telegraph, similar exam leaks were detected in Vietnam and China.

In Vietnam, a scheduled IELTS exam was cancelled at the last minute earlier this year amid fears of a paper leak, while authorities in China also found evidence of organised cheating.

Educationists have also raised concerns over the issue.

Mohammad Mojibur Rahman, professor at the Institute of Education and Research (IER) in University of Dhaka, said the IELTS exam is fully conducted by the British Council and therefore the entire responsibility lies with the organisation.

He said Bangladesh currently has no specific law to regulate international exams that are not conducted by local authorities.

However, he stressed that the government also has a responsibility.

“When an illegal activity takes place on our soil, the government cannot remain silent,” he said, adding that any examination held in the country must follow a clear standard.

He also emphasised the need for a proper policy framework to ensure accountability and maintain standardisation for such exams conducted within Bangladesh.

Earlier, through a Daily Sun investigation, police arrested Md Mamun Khan and Panna Punom Haldar on 6 September from Banani, identifying them as the main masterminds behind the IELTS question leak racket.

But a court later did not grant remand and police sources said they were subsequently released on bail.

On the same day, the British Council and IDP postponed the result of 6 September’s IELTS exam.

Later, while results for many candidates were published, the authorities permanently withheld the results of a significant number of students amid ongoing investigations.

On 8 September, Daily Sun published an investigative report titled “Massive IELTS exam paper leak racket uncovered”, which revealed details of the Bangladesh-based racket.