Egypt's 'zero-to-hero' schoolgirl must retake school year

A top-performing Egyptian schoolgirl who received zero marks across the board on her secondary school exams has had her appeal against the results rejected, local media has reported.

Mariam Malak, whose case caught international attention, said that her exam sheets had been switched with another student.

On Wednesday, a five-member forensics committee found that the handwriting on the disputed final exam belonged to Mariam, a claim the schoolgirl has vehemently denied.

"Since the results came out I've been living a nightmare," Mariam said, after coming to Cairo from her hometown of Asyut in southern Egypt.

"When I was shown the so-called copy of my answers, I couldn't believe my eyes," she said.

Mariam said she had written page after page in the exams, and what she was shown consisted of a few lines.

Now nicknamed the "zero schoolgirl" in the local press, Mariam had scored 97 percent in each of her previous two years' exams.

Mariam and her family have announced they will hold a press conference on Thursday.

Her case has brought attention to the integrity of the ministry of education's examination process, especially considering that exams in recent years have been marred by indiscriminate cheating.