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Original poster

Edexcel A-level maths leak

51 replies

noblegiraffe · 17/06/2019 17:07

Latest info from the exam board:

qualifications.pearson.com/en/news-policy/qualifications/a-levels/maths/a-level-maths-update-17-june-2019.html

They’ve found where the leak came from and police are involved. They’ll use statistical analysis of performance on previous papers to identify students who benefited from the leak, and will possibly disqualify them.

Potentially the blacked out questions that were available will be discounted from the exam.

I read on twitter that the paper was shared around some independent schools - these will be looked at closely.

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stucknoue · 17/06/2019 17:27

Dd is really annoyed by this because she worked like crazy for months to get her grade up (interestingly she didn't think Wednesdays paper was that bad). She has heard a rumour of a particular famous independent school where the paper was shared internally, she wants them disqualified!

TheFirstOHN · 17/06/2019 17:42

Thank you for sharing the updated statement.

They have two problems with paper 3: the two scribbled-over questions that were shared on twitter, and the screenshots showing that the whole paper was shared amongst an unspecified number of people. (Plus the issue with paper 2 that many candidates felt it was not of a similar difficulty to the other papers).

I believe this is the third consecutive year that there has been evidence of an Edexcel Maths A-level paper being leaked. I understand that a proportionally large number of candidates take that qualification compared to other subjects and exam boards, but it's still very unfortunate. I think their microchip pilot might be too little, too late.

DS2 will be taking this qualification next summer (along with their Further Maths A-level). The year after that, I wouldn't be surprised if his school moves to a different exam board.

Rosieposy4 · 18/06/2019 00:20

It does make it all so unfair. DS has always performed better on mechs and stats so if they compare his performance on paper 3 to that in paper 2 he will have done better, not because he saw the bloody paper. 😡

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 18/06/2019 16:42

They’re now having to replace a further maths paper for Thursday because an investigation at the school at the centre of the original leak has found that the further maths paper packet had been opened.

schoolsweek.co.uk/edexcel-further-maths-a-level-paper-replaced-amid-cheating-concerns/

Edexcel have been getting a lot of flack for the paper being leaked, but it seems that the ire should be directed at this school, and the criminal who has been stealing the papers.

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Fifthtimelucky · 18/06/2019 16:53

Thanks for sharing this. I've sent it to my sister as my niece did this paper. lke @Rosieposy4 's son, my niece felt she did better on the leaked paper than on the other two, so it could look as if she benefited from the leak when she didn't.

They can't surely assume that candidates are consist across all the papers? When my own daughter did A level maths (old style), she scored really badly on one paper, but was fine on the other 5.

TheFirstOHN · 18/06/2019 17:30

They need to incorporate microchip tamper evidence devices into exam paper packs.

titchy · 18/06/2019 17:40

I think most kids found paper 3 the easiest so I wouldn't worry about that. What's annoying is if they omit the two leaked but redacted questions - ds did ok on those but didn't have time to finish properly.

ArabellaDoreenFig · 18/06/2019 20:50

They need to incorporate microchip tamper evidence devices into exam paper packs

They need to ensure that the staff who are responsible for exams aren’t arseholes who ruin it for everyone for a quick buck. (And honestly how much can they have made?)

I work in an exams department and truthfully the suggestion of having tamper proof packs has bristled me - as I know I’m trustworthy and cheating just isn’t worth my job, or the kids qualifications and futures!

However, as seen, the 99.99% of trustworthy exams officers unfortunately don’t cancel out the utter knob that did this.

Lasteleven · 18/06/2019 20:57

Yes, this worries me too Titchy. My dd didn’t finish paper 3 either. Removing those two questions from the marks is unfair because many students will have rushed or not finished some Qs and spent too long on others. But they do that knowing their marks will be based on the whole paper. As soon as you discount a question, the playing field is no longer level.

I hope the analysis of marks does sort out any discrepancies, but I’m not confident. I just hope my dcs’ school changes exam board before my younger child does A levels.

TheFirstOHN · 18/06/2019 20:59

They need to ensure that the staff who are responsible for exams aren’t arseholes who ruin it for everyone for a quick buck

Yes, but how? As you say, the vast majority of exams officers and their teams are trustworthy and responsible. How can they be alerted to the actions of the tiny minority who aren't?

SarahMused · 18/06/2019 21:08

I would be concerned that the same school had opened all papers but only got caught when the third one leaked on social media. There are rumours that this happened. Edexcel are sticking to the line that only a few students had access to the whole of paper three and the problems are confined to the two questions that were extensively shared. A lot of students don’t believe this is true and think that many more had access to the whole of paper three before the exam. I hope the investigation gets to the bottom of what went on and those responsible are suitably punished. Unfortunately, whatever the exam board say, there is no way to deal with this that will be fair to everyone. Some students, through no fault of their own, may well get different results as a consequence of this leak.

TheFirstOHN · 18/06/2019 21:11

I would be concerned that the same school had opened all papers but only got caught when the third one leaked on social media.

I would hope that centre (and the papers taken there so far) is being investigated very closely.

TheFallenMadonna · 18/06/2019 21:52

It's the exam centre that was responsible for the leak though, not Pearson. If the centre had been doing AQA, presumably that would be the paper affected. Changing board doesn't stop exam centre malpractice. Perfect storm though for Edexcel with the response to the demand of papers 1 and 2.

LifeImplosionImminent · 18/06/2019 23:04

My daughter took edexcel maths A level - she was already reeling from dodgy chemistry equations and a wicked maths paper 2 when the paper 3 leak scandal hit - she has one more chemistry paper tomorrow but I hope she hasn't given up!

It's annoying as hell when people cheat - but I can't help but think this happens in every subject, every awarding body, every year.

Some kids are idiots, some people are unscrupulous...

Fingers crossed for all our nervous teams come mid August!

oneteen · 18/06/2019 23:59

I think the tabloids are directing their inquiries towards East London - top performing state schools ..

Lasteleven · 19/06/2019 07:28

I gathered from the info about further maths that schools must receive exam papers in a batch, maybe a week or more ahead of time? Surely it would be more secure to designate a local centre that keeps the papers in a secure safe with a very limited number of people able to access, and distributes them much closer to the exam?

GHGN · 19/06/2019 07:41

There are so many idiotic people in schools, students and teachers, they will find a way to cheat.

For a long time pre 2015, there was a teacher, who always got hold of the paper straight after the exam, did it and posted it on the studentroom for a few ‘likes’ on social media. It meant setting previous year paper in the following year’s mock became unreliable. As a HoD, I absolutely hated that man/woman but he/she was never caught.

Edexcel and other exam board needs to set an example here or they will lose much credibility.

IHeartArya · 19/06/2019 07:48

I feel for the students who’ve worked their socks off & now this! How demoralising for them. Person leaking needs to be made an example of.

stucknoue · 19/06/2019 07:49

I think the answer is to send out the papers later, if I can order a phone lead at 9pm and get it the next day, there's no need for the papers to go to schools more than 48 hours ahead of the exam. The second measure would be to make heads personally liable for leaks

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 19/06/2019 08:02

local centre that keeps the papers in a secure safe with a very limited number of people able to access

But that is what schools are supposed to be, and the vast majority of exams officers do their job. If it were a separate centre, there’s still the potential for the packet to be opened for selling like it was here.

I think what needs to happen here is that the cheaters don’t get their A-level, the centre to lose its ability to host exams, and if caught, the leaker to go to prison. Make it too risky to cheat.

The fact that they were able to identify the centre that leaked so quickly must have been unexpected.

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Malbecfan · 19/06/2019 10:00

I feel really sorry for those kids who took that paper. DD2 did OCR Maths so was not affected, but for a few minutes when she came out and others checked their phones, there was that panic.

On the point about tamper-proof packages: I know that the vast majority of Exams Officers are diligent and honest people. However, some exams require preparation in advance of the exam date. I teach Music and we need to listen to the whole GCSE CD in advance of the exam. If we don't, we open it in front of the kids and stick it in the CD player and it then doesn't work, we have a major problem. I think we can open it 5 working days before the exam. The date this year was just after half term, so we could listen from around 20th May. Our exams officer listened to them so I still have no idea what was on the paper other than what my students told me when they came out as I haven't seen a copy of it. However, the extracts on the CD are not the whole thing; you need to see the question paper too, and those were opened in front of the kids.

SarahMused · 19/06/2019 10:04

Noblegiraffe is correct. The consequences must be severe enough to deter people tempted to cheat in the future. Any system has to rely on the integrity of the people involved as it is impossible to make it 100% secure. Making schools and teachers totally responsible for the results of their students has increased the likelihood that this kind of thing will happen. It only takes one dishonest/desperate person to cause so much angst.

fiftiesmum · 19/06/2019 11:22

So rumours are narrowing it down to a high performing state school in East London - could it be the ones who have a high number of Oxbridge offers which need fulfilling especially now Cambridge has stopped grade reduction for offer holders and has moved over to adjustment then the pressure has increased to get those grades.

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 19/06/2019 11:42

I see a petition is circulating demanding that students are given their predicted grades.

This won’t happen, so students shouldn’t be getting their hopes up. Schools used to provide estimated grades to exam boards years ago but don’t any more, and predicted grades that are provided to UCAS are only about 16% accurate and notoriously over predict so are useless.

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oneteen · 19/06/2019 13:54

So rumours are narrowing it down to a high performing state school in East London - could it be the ones who have a high number of Oxbridge offers That was my thoughts last night when I read the article in the paper...