Given incorrect GCSE AQA BIOLOGY exam paper

We also use same seating so I always ask another invigilator to check the papers after they have been put out and then ask students to check they have the correct paper before we start the exam - so two extra checks.

@TessHale I'm not sure which board you were expecting to sit, but attached is a pretty good representation of a trilogy and a biology front cover from AQA. Please note I've just pulled images off the net - one is a predicted paper, so not published by an exam board. However they are very close.

@clary thank you for your message. I just wanted (and paid for) Biology higher tier. No double science, this is why I raised the question whether the paper in front of me was correct, because it said “double award” the T&E staff member had no idea what it meant and couldn’t reassure me that it was the correct paper. But because we were so over time to sit the paper I think she just wanted me to get on with it.

And tell him not to worry!

Make sure you speak to the Exams Officer first- they are the only ones who can sort it out.

My son had this but the other way round
there was a huge delay in them starting the exam, and he was so nervous so didn’t check.
He takes his exams on his on (DCD) and was so flustered he just said to the woman beforehand I do higher.
It wasn’t until 4pm that he realised when he was talking to classmates and going on about questions saying they were weird. He has been devastated all weekend.
School were next to useless when I finally managed to get hold of them. One person laughed 😡
Going to be knocking on a few doors in the morning 🤯

@TessHale were you just taking biology GCSE or were you sitting the biology paper of double science?

I have always found T&E very good but tbf have never dealt with the Wimbledon bc centre. I would deffo call them tomorrow

@OhCrumbsWhereNow yes despite what a pp says, I would definitely go for F papers with any candidate looking at a 5 or below.

Genuinely I cannot imagine it is in any way easier to get a 5 on H. The percentage mark needed is certainly lower but that’s bc the questions are so much harder.

As I say, science is not my subject, but I am sure the same is true as for MFL and maths. There are crossover questions which are the hardest ones on F and the easiest on H.

Another thing is that if a candidate is likely to get a 4/5on H, they will only understand/access a third or less of the questions. How demoralising and dispiriting - and they are much more likely to do badly imho.

This really does happen most years in lots of places.

It's usually due to the invigilator doing the seating plan/papers wrong.

I grill my invigilators and I double check their seating plans.

Not all schools do the same thing, I was an invigilator and there were no separate areas for different papers/tier. All the non access arrangement students were in the main hall with a seating plan and paper to be sat. It was the invigilators job to make sure the correct paper was on each desk and I don't remember an instance of a candidate getting the wrong paper but it could have happened especially in science subjects with many different options

Different schools do it differently. We used “same seating” so pupils sat in same seat for ALL exams. Many advantages for pupils & staff/invigilators but meant checking papers was more important. Still only one mistake happened while I was there so it’s always possible.

You can do higher tier in double

This is wrong. I was an exams officer until recently and it happened once to me. An incorrect paper was given to a pupil and they didn’t say anything when asked to check. It is possible for it to happen.

@HawthornBike special con will be applied. There is no way that the teacher can speak to the external examiners though. That’s just not a thing as exams papers are sent out to a large bank of recruited examiners to mark and nobody other than the exam board employing them would speak to them.

The invigilator would have been given a printed out register which would show the name of the paper you had been entered for usually and it should have your candidate number on too. You should not have started the paper and should have asked the invigilator to call the exams officer in. You would have been given the full amount of time for the exam.

The information I have had is that is much more likely for a student to do better with the Foundation papers for Science than the Higher papers.

We're looking at Foundation Science for DD (who is both SEN and utterly uninterested in them) and they said weaker candidates have come out with a higher grade on Foundation than stronger candidates attempting the Higher paper.

When I did gcse as a mature student at local exam centre, I paid the exam centre for my application but I got something back from them from the exam board aqa showing the entry. (And later on the exam dates for each paper)

Was that correct?

Thank you for confirming my thoughts. I did question it but she asked me to check, how am I supposed to know? That’s what I paid them for. To issue me the correct paper. I have emailed and I will call tomorrow. Thank you for your help.

@TessHale - you need to ring them and check. If you were entered for a certain exam they would have had to check your name and script against the register they had for entrants before they send it off. You would then have entered your name and candidate number onto the answer paper. If you were sure you had the wrong paper the invigilator should definitely have double checked.

I have been studying with Learndirect and sat the exam with Tutors& exams at a center in Wimbledon. I have to say the whole arrangement was a shambles and they didn’t even have a desk available for me or a number of other candidates, hence the reason for me sitting at a desk intended for another student who hadn’t shown up for the exam, this is why I think I was given the wrong paper. I’m very frustrated and worried all my hard work has been for nothing.

Where were you sitting it? That sounds very odd. Your name is on the official register showing what exam you have been entered for etc and that has to be sent off with your script.

That must be an unusual board as JCQ regulations don't require that. You are allowed to put the scripts on the tables before the candidates come in.
I invigilate and sometimes the packing up of the scripts takes ages - how could you possibly do that in front of the kids? Another school I do it in has about 5 separate rooms so the scripts all get packed by the staff in the exams office.

In our hall the kids are divided by subject, tier etc but there are always ones sitting slightly out of their area for a myriad of reasons. We double / triple check everything but mistakes can happen-it's very rare but possible.

I’m a mature student and I sat my GCSE exam last Friday, I was given a paper intended for another student. The invigilator didn’t attempt to help me when I queried the paper and she had no idea what paper was intended for me, nor could she tell me my candidate number. I now think I have spent a whole year studying for a paper that I wasn’t given. I wanted to sit Biology Higher tier and the paper I took was Biology (double award)?? As an exams officer can you shed any light on this for me? Thank you.

@jonnyhatesjazzzzz we don't put papers on desks until students have heard the exam rubric i.e do not start the paper until i give you permission to do so etc. our exam board state exams must be opened infront of the students and packed infront of students

@BarcardiWithGadaffia usually as exam officers we have to print stickers for desks with names, exam code and centre number on so he shouldn't have even been sitting in the wrong exam area.

Who did you speak to? If it wasn't the Exams Officer, I'd ask to speak to them.