Matric pupils waiting anxiously to start their examinations.
The department of basic education says the mathematics paper two was leaked today, just hours before it was written.
The department said in a statement that learners in Gauteng and Limpopo had access to the leaked paper, adding that it is not clear where the leak happened.
“The department of basic education is investigating the matter to establish the extent of the leak. Early sources point to the confinement of the leakage to few learners located in these two provinces,” said the department.
The department said its investigation team was looking into the leak but it would ask law enforcement to assist, and requested that those who knew about the leak to come forward.
The leak has not jeopardised the integrity of the exams, according to the department.
This is not the first time a matric paper has been leaked in Limpopo. In the 2016 matric exams, the maths paper two was leaked to learners in Giyani, and they circulated it on Whatsapp. The department held the results of the schools while the Hawks and the police investigated. In 2015 a life science paper was leaked in the Vhembe district of Limpopo.
In 2014, the matric exam also faced a cheating scandal involving 58 schools in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. It was discovered that group copying had taken place in a maths paper. This led to the results of several schools being nullified. More than 100 learners took the education department to court, demanding that their results be released.