Moldova annuls six graduation exams following exam fraud probe
The National Exam Commission annulled the graduation and Baccalaureate exam papers of six students in Moldova following the detection of systemic irregularities during grade reevaluations. The official decision was approved during an emergency administrative meeting on Tuesday, June 30.
The Ministry of Education and Research announced that investigators discovered unauthorized alterations on several test papers. The tampering occurred after students completed their examinations and after teachers concluded the initial evaluation phase. The fraudulent modifications targeted secondary school graduation tests in mathematics and Romanian literature, alongside a high school Baccalaureate exam in geography.
Officials identified the fraud by cross-checking the physical sheets submitted for grade appeals against color digital scans archived during the first grading stage. The commission conducted formal hearings with exam center directors from the Ialoveni, Straseni, and Telenesti regions, as well as an administrator from a Baccalaureate facility in the Chisinau municipality.
The administrative body demanded immediate internal institutional investigations to determine how the security breach occurred and isolate the responsible parties for legal sanctions. However, the students whose exam outcomes were voided due to fraud retain the right to retake their examinations during the upcoming secondary session.
The final validated results for both the lower secondary graduation and the national Baccalaureate track will be published on July 3. The release follows the conclusion of comprehensive reexaminations for all test papers linked to student appeals.
According to preliminary national data released on June 25, the overall passing rate for the Baccalaureate examination stands at 75.4%. Among high school seniors, the graduation rate exceeded 90%, marking the highest performance metric recorded in the country over the last three consecutive years.
Ministry representatives emphasized that the positive trend reflects structural improvements within the national educational landscape alongside sustained state institutional investments. Additionally, a record 85 graduates achieved perfect grade point averages across all exam disciplines, with top scorers originating from every administrative region of the country.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
