Exam errors – message to candidates
Wednesday, 22 June 2011 09:34
We know that exams are a very stressful time for students and that the recent series of errors on papers have added to the worry for all candidates.
Ofqual is clear that these errors are unacceptable. We ordered the awarding organisations to carry out extra checks on the remaining exam papers for the summer series on June 7 and received assurances that these checks were carried out. However, some errors still occurred and we are now taking action to find out how those happened and what is being done to put them right. As regulator, it is our job to take action to protect the interests of candidates and the integrity of the exam system.
Candidates that have experienced errors can be assured that we are monitoring the awarding organisations’ actions very closely and will make sure we are satisfied with the steps they are taking to ensure no-one is unfairly disadvantaged or advantaged. The awarding organisations can look at the way the particular problem questions are answered and are marked, and they can also use techniques to assess the impact of performance across the whole exam paper. We will be checking what they are doing.
Any candidates who do feel that their overall performance was affected by an error should talk to their school, college or centre about the options available to them, on the day of the exam and when the results are back. They will be able to give advice and talk to the awarding organisation on their behalf.
If candidates with exams still to sit come across a question they find difficult, or where they think there is an error, they should remember the exam technique they have been taught. The best advice is for them to move on to other questions and come back to that one later.
We must keep in mind that errors are found in only a small proportion of exam papers and the vast majority meet the high standards required. However, these exams are so important that any errors are unacceptable. We are committed to holding the awarding organisations to account for them, and are investigating their quality assurance processes so that lessons are learned.
