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Original poster

Wrong GCSE Paper!!!

110 replies

TheOnlyMrsW · 20/05/2022 12:42

Hi, hoping someone will be able to help. DD16 went into school for her first Maths paper this morning, instead of being in the main exam hall she's in a small room to the side with half a dozen other kids. No idea how they've managed it but her and the children in their room have been given the wrong paper - they got the AQA paper instead of EdExcel (the main hall students got the right one).

Phoned school a little while ago and they're apparently trying to work out what happens now..........but what can they possibly do? They obviously can't give them the correct paper at a later date as everyone else has already seen it and they may get details of the questions, will EdExcel have to send a completely different paper, or them just take the grade off the other 2 papers and skip this one?

There's very few gaps in the timetable now until the last week of exams, but what if they don't all have the same day "spare"? Out of all the exams this paper was the one she was dreading the most and now to have this to deal with is crappy 😥

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Original poster
TheOnlyMrsW · 25/08/2022 13:31

Phew, ended up with 2 9's, 3 8's, 4 7's and a 6..............one of the 7's in Maths thank goodness!!!!! I reckon the exams officer in school might have been a tad relieved as well 😂.
Off to enrol for A levels this afternoon, dithering about one when she's been set since January so will try to work that one out!

OP posts:
Original poster
TheOnlyMrsW · 24/08/2022 10:37

@HipsterCoffeeShop hope your results are what was hoped for (and there's lots of coffee around if you've been there since 6am!!!), DD's school have been brilliant.
@Threelittlelambs congratulations to your DD and good luck to her moving to uni - so glad to hear good outcomes for these things.

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Threelittlelambs · 21/08/2022 23:49

I posted earlier on your thread - DD similar situation - only worse - long complicated human error issue.

Only with A Level paper this mark was the difference between university or not - well she aced the paper and will be leaving us in September - I’m so pleased for her and fingers crossed your daughter will be fine!

Johnnysgirl · 21/08/2022 21:19

Oh, brilliant, op 👍. Hope she aces it!

HipsterCoffeeShop · 21/08/2022 20:58

Good luck to your DD. Hope she gets the smashing results she deserves.

I will be at school at 6am on Wednesday to prep our GCSE results - it's the first set of GCSEs for the school I work at, can't wait, it's really exciting 😳looking forward to Thursday when the kids get them. It's always a brilliant day seeing their hard work rewarded.

Original poster
TheOnlyMrsW · 20/08/2022 20:17

Just by way of an update we got confirmation from school yesterday that the application for special consideration has been approved - I didn't realise at the time that it wasn't just done automatically............so the complicated average mark for the missed paper will be included.
Everything cross now for next week 🤞

OP posts:
MrsR87 · 26/05/2022 18:44

Thanks for the update! I thought that’s what they would do.
So pleased the head of 6th form said what he did, that must be so reassuring!

Original poster
TheOnlyMrsW · 25/05/2022 19:25

So.......school have applied for special consideration with the exam board which means there's a complicated way of working out averages for all papers, comparing DD's paper 2 & 3 marks to the average for those and then awarding her a mark for the missed paper based on this 😮. So still nerverwracking between now and results day but at least there will be some marks from paper 1.
The head of 6th form phoned as well today (he taught me as well but doesn't remember!) and confirmed that regardless of the outcome in August DD will be able to take her A level choices as they know she's capable.
I will definitely come back and update for anyone who wants to know how she did, and thanks again for everyone who took time to comment!

OP posts:
DaffodilGreen · 22/05/2022 14:34

Pottedpalm · 22/05/2022 07:35

@DaffodilGreen
Triple fees!
Did exam boards refund any fees paid for exams which were never taken during the pandemic?

Yes exam boards did refund some as basically schools did all the work. It ranged from about 17-44% depending on the board from memory (don’t quote me as I don’t do finance).

Yeah triple fees. It’s double for entries after 21Feb. Then again after 21Apr. AQA charge around £43 per entry (basic without late fees). £72 ish for sciences. So the typical pupil at our school without late fees is around £300.

Pottedpalm · 22/05/2022 07:35

@DaffodilGreen
Triple fees!
Did exam boards refund any fees paid for exams which were never taken during the pandemic?

Lougle · 21/05/2022 21:37

Good to know @DaffodilGreen

DaffodilGreen · 21/05/2022 19:21

Lougle · 21/05/2022 18:08

I don't think a candidate can sit an exam unless they've been entered for it with the exam board by a deadline, so they won't record the result of the paper even if it's submitted.

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This is not correct. I could decide to give a paper to a pupil on the day who’d never been entered. Then go to my desk and enter him (for triple fees). It’s absolutely possible in case of missed entries.

PinkPomegranite · 21/05/2022 19:12

@KittyMcKitty it's not on the EO alone, it sounds like a catalogue of small errors from how the OP has described it.
Firstly the Edexcel candidate was withdrawn (so it would seem the EO didn't know that else they wouldn't have sent out that paper), secondly the invigilator gave out the wrong papers (they must have had both AQA and Edexcel and presumably a register of the papers for each student), then the students didn't notice they had the wrong board. So a whole load of times that someone could have stopped the error but didn't.

It's very easy to make mistakes, especially if you are working with new invigilators, who this year especially, might be doing their first exam or internal school staff who don't usually do exams. 2 boards in 1 room is asking for a mistake and those of us who have done the job for years usually have systems in place but even these can go wrong sometimes.

This year as well there will be loads of EOs who are doing their first season despite having been in the job for 2 or 3 years. Whilst none of that helps the OP or her DD feel any better about the mistake, EOs are only human and can't be in every room checking every paper before every exam so we rely on others who occasionally get it wrong.

NotYourOscarSpeech · 21/05/2022 18:59

KittyMcKitty · 21/05/2022 18:52

The school my children go to do Edexcel Maths and the school I work in does AQA. Whilst a circle theorem is always a circle theorem I have to say the look and feel of the papers (layout etc) are quite different - much more so then with the Edexcel / AQA ENG Lang & Lit.

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Agree, the format is very different, AQA also has multiple choice questions whereas Edexcel doesn’t.

More critically this year; however, is the advanced information - all of the OP’s DD’s prep for this paper would have been geared towards the Edexcel advanced information which isn’t the same as the AQA one.

KittyMcKitty · 21/05/2022 18:52

Tulipvase · 21/05/2022 17:17

Of course this is far from ideal but will the content be so very different between the different boards?

The school my children go to do Edexcel Maths and the school I work in does AQA. Whilst a circle theorem is always a circle theorem I have to say the look and feel of the papers (layout etc) are quite different - much more so then with the Edexcel / AQA ENG Lang & Lit.

Lougle · 21/05/2022 18:08

Tulipvase · 21/05/2022 17:17

Of course this is far from ideal but will the content be so very different between the different boards?

I don't think a candidate can sit an exam unless they've been entered for it with the exam board by a deadline, so they won't record the result of the paper even if it's submitted.

Tulipvase · 21/05/2022 17:20

For maths I mean. Obviously in other subjects there may be a lot more variance.

Tulipvase · 21/05/2022 17:17

Of course this is far from ideal but will the content be so very different between the different boards?

MrsR87 · 21/05/2022 16:59

Teacher here so I didn’t want to read an run! I hope this had a positive outcome so please
update us.
I’ve never know this to happen in my school so can’t give a specific answer but when the error is nothing to do with the pupil, the exams boards are usually pretty understanding!

KittyMcKitty · 21/05/2022 16:16

TheOnlyMrsW · 20/05/2022 13:44

@actiongirl1978 thank you for taking the time to respond, it must be bedlam for you at the moment!

Just spoken to DD, apparently there is a sixth form student who came in from another school who had to resit Maths and his old school did EdExcel, the children in DD's room got his spare papers by mistake so that's how there were two boards mixed up.
The maths teacher they flagged it to wanted them all to resit this afternoon but some had already gone by that point, plus they had some knowledge of what was in the paper.
@Sh05 apparently the invigilator said the same thing until they were taken to one side by DD's school's exam officer and told that it was their job to check this and not the children's who are stressed out of their nuts as it is

I am so sorry for this mess and hope it reaches a good conclusion.

re the above it’s ultimately the exams officers mess (not the invigilator) as they are responsible for the allocations of papers and all papers are required to be checked and signed for by 2 sets of eyes. Were the Edexcel papers in the room? The invigilator should have had full paperwork for the room detailing each candidate, their candidate number and what they’ve been entered for. Did the paperwork specify the board? If not the invigilator has no way of knowing, as should the students. Interestingly it says in the speech all students get before the exam that they should check that the paper is correct for the day, date, time, subject, unit, level or tier but does not mention exam board (see attached from JCQ regs).

basically a massive fuck up from the exams officer and I would question their whole set up! I would also ask to see their paperwork for the room.

DaffodilGreen · 21/05/2022 16:00

TheOnlyMrsW · 21/05/2022 07:34

@DaffodilGreen thank you for taking time to respond, as with the other EO's I know it's so busy for you. As I understand the paper completed won't be sent off to EdExcel, I didn't speak to EO from school but he did say that he was speaking to them again on Monday. My concern with just assessing from the two remaining papers is that they are both calculator papers and yesterday's was non-calculator so there's no way of then knowing DD's skillset in that part of the course. The poor bloke us phoning me on Monday as well and I definitely mean to ask that question as her dad didn't.

I know in 10 years time DD's GCSE maths grade won't matter at all and she's not intending to take it next year but........and but.....

You’re very welcome. When I first started, a much more experienced EO told me to never get too upset about mistakes as an exam board would never penalise a pupil due to an admin error by us. That there is always a solution and it’s always fixable.

One thing to know at the moment is that exam board phones are currently manned by lots of seasonal staff so some are giving out wrong information. If this happened in my school I’d send off the wrong paper to the right board with a cover letter and give them time to get it to the right person to solve it. Don’t panic too much about an instant fix. Best to set the wheels in motion properly and then let them have time to resolve it. This won’t be the only pupil this happens to this summer and they will sort it for your DD. It just might take a while so best for her to just focus on the rest of her exams for now but with the reassurance it will get sorted eventually. Best of luck to your DD and thank you for not vilifying us EO’s. We are human and I can honestly say it’s the single hardest job I’ve ever done in my life.

MeanMrMustardSeed · 21/05/2022 07:55

@TheOnlyMrsW Nothing to add in terms of the issue, but wanted to say that, as with many threads on here, it’s been such an interesting read. It has really opened my eyes to the EO role, and it’s amazing to have the professional experience of experts in their fields - my favourite thing about MN.
You are obviously such a wonderful mum! Focused on the situation, got your daughter’s back, but not hyping anything up and being understanding of the background to the situation.
I’m so pleased your daughter got the outcome you wanted and hope the results fall her way.

Original poster
TheOnlyMrsW · 21/05/2022 07:34

@DaffodilGreen thank you for taking time to respond, as with the other EO's I know it's so busy for you. As I understand the paper completed won't be sent off to EdExcel, I didn't speak to EO from school but he did say that he was speaking to them again on Monday. My concern with just assessing from the two remaining papers is that they are both calculator papers and yesterday's was non-calculator so there's no way of then knowing DD's skillset in that part of the course. The poor bloke us phoning me on Monday as well and I definitely mean to ask that question as her dad didn't.

I know in 10 years time DD's GCSE maths grade won't matter at all and she's not intending to take it next year but........and but.....

OP posts:
DaffodilGreen · 21/05/2022 05:50

CraftyGin · 20/05/2022 20:40

The pack is opened in the room in front of the student, so if there is a pack of 10 papers, there will be 9 spare.

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Not true for JCQ regulated exams. We open in secure store with second pair of eyes. Then split for separate rooms, place in sealed envelopes and take to rooms, then papers are put out before pupils enter by seating plan. We then ask pupils to ensure they have the correct paper in front of them too.

DaffodilGreen · 21/05/2022 05:47

I’m an EO and recently discussed this sort of scenario. Her school should send off the AQA paper to Edexcel (with a cover note) and it can be marked along with special consideration. They will mark a paper from another board to help gauge the pupils marks along with the other 2 Edexcel papers she’ll sit as it’s unfair to disadvantage her. I know it seems unthinkable now but it can be fixed. Please don’t worry.