Update on Examinations Issues
Thursday 14th July 2011
A meeting of the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) took place on Wednesday 13 July as the awarding bodies continue to monitor and manage the impact of a number of errors which occurred in this year’s examinations papers.
Marking has now reached an appropriate stage and the Awarding Bodies have provided an update on the actions. This can be viewed on the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) website.
Awarding Bodies statementwww.jcq.org.uk
CCEA Issues
CCEA had two specific errors, one in a GCE Further Mathematics paper and one in a GCSE Business Studies paper.
Since these errors were identified, we have been communicating directly with schools and providing reassurance that measures are in place to ensure that students are not disadvantaged.
We are working with the regulators as they closely monitor the marking and grading process to ensure that the students’ interests are protected.
CCEA senior examiners are currently scrutinising each individual script to consider the most appropriate course of action.
An internal investigation is underway to identify how these errors occurred and to make recommendations for improvement.
In addition, CCEA will fully participate in an external investigation which has been commissioned by the regulators.
Any error in an examination paper falls far below the standards that CCEA sets for itself. We apologise for any distress this may have caused. We appreciate that students have worked hard this summer and we regret that our processes failed to identify these errors sooner.
We will continue to post the most up to date information on our website.
GCE Further Mathematics (Unit FP2) – error in a mathematical equation
An error in an equation meant that students may have been unable to answer part of the last question and could potentially have missed out on two marks as a result.
The following actions have been taken:
- Each paper has been reviewed individually by a team of Senior Examiners.
- The mark scheme has been adjusted so that full marks will be awarded for method.
- The error will be taken into account when setting the grades.
- We will inform UCAS of any students affected by this error.
GCSE Business Studies (Unit GBS2) – numerical error within a table of data
An incorrect total was included in a cash flow table. Students were not asked questions directly relating to the incorrect information.
Senior Examiners will review each individual script to ensure that all acceptable, alternative responses have been awarded marks.
Further information
Ofqual’s Update on Exam Errorswww.ofqual.gov.uk
