CCEA Internal Investigation into Examination Paper Errors
Friday 16 September 2011
During the summer 2011 examination series, two CCEA examinations papers each contained one error.
On discovering these issues, our priority was to ensure that the remaining examination papers were error free and that no student would be disadvantaged as a result of what had happened.
We are confident that the actions taken during the marking and awarding process have ensured that all students received the grades they deserved. The regulators have also stated that they are satisfied with our response. Details can be found on the CCEA website.
CCEA takes very seriously any instance where we fail to deliver to the highest standards. We have since conducted an internal investigation to determine the root cause of these errors and identify areas for improvement in our processes to reduce the risk of errors occurring in the future.
The report lists a number of specific recommendations based on the investigation of the errors. These include:
- the introduction of an additional, documented control procedure for making changes to examination papers;
- improving the clarity of information exchange between CCEA and the printer;
- the introduction of a new requirement for typesetting to be completed prior to Question Paper Evaluation Committee (QPEC) meetings.
More general recommendations were also made in relation to communications, roles and responsibilities and staff training and guidance.
We are currently developing a detailed action plan and will make every effort to ensure that similar errors do not occur in the future.
We will also be cooperating fully with the wider Ofqual investigation into the errors.
View full reportPDF 72 kb
