Consequences of exam paper mistakes but your job doesn’t end there

The following extract is taken from an experience in a member’s centre and is a follow up to a previous news item -  ‘Putting a reality on the media focus on exam mistakes’. While the press have focused on the possible implications for students and Ofqual have demanded that future papers are more scrupulously checked to avoid any future problems, exams office staff who are confronted with these issues on the day are ignored. The stress and strain of having to front these difficult problems day-after-day can have long term consequences.  

AQA Geog2 / Geography – This was a compulsory question early on in the paper (question 1(b) (ii) which was related to the interpretation of a diagram – cross section of a river with isovels drawn on it showing variation in velocity. It was very confusing as the question asked the candidate to label with arrows the fastest part of the river and then describe the relationship between the information. The mistake resulted in what should have been the slowest flow now incorrectly showing the area of fastest flow so would have been very confusing. This caused upset, confusion, lack of focus for the rest of the paper, and obviously loss of time.

AQA BUSS2 / Business Studies - AS girls were affected, they spent extra time trying to work out the answer and as it was one of the first questions it affected their confidence.  YR 13 re-sits as well.  It was a compulsory question.

OCR Maths - Comments from a number of the girls that it was a question that they knew they were able to answer and that they spent up to 30 minutes on the question, thus loosing time. It also deflated their confidence as it was a question that they knew they were able to answer but was unable to see this is a straight forward type of question.  The question was not optional as on D1 all questions have to be answered.

Did you have any of these problems with any of these exams or any other types of exam or assessment? And of course the issues are not over as results days loom and all the repercussions of the exam process have still to be played out.  Email – andrewharland@examofficer.org.uk – titled Exam Paper mistakes.