Given incorrect GCSE AQA BIOLOGY exam paper

[HawthornBike]

Hi
My child this morning (10/05/2024) was given and sat the incorrect Biology exam paper, ( first GCSE AQA ). He should have been given the foundation paper however he sat the higher one. The Teacher who informed us was brilliant and confirmed a ‘special consideration form’ will be completed and sent to AQA. He also confirmed that he’d speak to the recruited external examiners. Is there anything else I should be doing.

Many thanks

Out of interest, how did he find the paper?

I’d be asking for reassurance better processes are in place to prevent it happening again so you don’t need to be stressing about that on top of normal gcse stress! (Dd currently sitting GCSEs so I know the stress well).

I'm in Scotland rather than England, so our system is a bit different, but answering to boost traffic.

However, I'd be asking whether your son sat a mock. Will that be sent with the 'special consideration' form, or will they be waiting for the results?

How did the error occur? Did the external invigilator get mixed up or had the school made a paperwork error? What is being done to ensure that no further errors occur?

No. Everything that should be done is being done. I hope it all works out - I don’t doubt it will.

This nearly happened at ours today. Thankfully it was spotted before the kids entered the room.

There is very little else you can do right now.
I'd try and reassure your child that everything will be done to eradicate the effect if the error.
I'm not sure if it's any consolation, but the first half of the higher paper is usually the same as the back half of the foundation paper. So there will be some questions that would have been sat whatever. What grade were you predicted?

It is also worth getting your child to double check the front of other papers. Maths and chemistry next week will all have different papers bring sat with very similar paper names (tho science is the worst!). Tho I'm sure the exams officer will be triple checking your child's papers from now on!

I hope this hasn't scarred your child for the rest of the exams.l, and doesn't stop them getting the grade they deserve.

How stressful for your son @HawthornBike I hope he is OK. Sounds as tho the school is doing the right things.

Going forward, and assuming he is sitting F papers for all sciences, they have a big F on the front (see pic). Of course it shouldn't happen again, but I would advise him.to check, and hand back anything with an H.

Just to add to clary's image, there were biology and, combined science:biology being sat today. Getting the right one of those is also important!

Grade boundaries for Higher papers are much lower than Foundation papers, so with a Special Consideration application should help ensure your son has not been disadvantaged. How did he find the paper? Some questions may have been on higher-only topics that he may not have studied.

Is he doing Combined or Triple? There are six or nine papers altogether, so a small drop on one paper may not be catastrophic. If he is just missing a crucial grade boundary when all the results are in, there is a further appeals process.

Is he doing Combined or Triple? There are six or nine papers altogether

Actually @INeedVitaminSea there are now six papers for combined and also for triple - triple just has longer papers.

Still it is only 50% of his biology paper if taking triple, and if combined, only 12.5% of the total.

I’m an invigilator and we always ask students to check they have the correct paper. The room I invigilate has candidates taking higher, foundation and triple so we always have a second check before I start the exam.
sounds like the school has taken prompt action.

Sorry my maths was rubbish last night - each paper on combined counts for about 17%!

What are they doing about the second one - keeping the foundation entry?

This might work in his favour. It's easier to get a grade 5 on a higher paper than a foundation one because of the grade boundaries. Where possible we enter our students for higher.

To add, our students all sit separate sciences, not combined.

What is his target grade? If he is a decent 4, he might actually get a 5 on the Higher paper. He certainly should not be disadvantaged.

As an exam officer this is impossible. He must've been entered for the higher paper in error. We get sent separate pre printed attendance registers for both higher and foundation papers so there's no way he could've just been give the wrong paper.

That was the same paper whether combined science or triple.

This is a problem if he is doing combined science as he can’t sit higher for Biology then foundation for chemistry and physics. If it is separate science then this is not an issue unless there is more than one biology exam, such as paper 1 and paper 2, he has to do the same tier for both papers.
I’d be checking this with the school as if it’s combined then he now has to do the higher papers for physics and chemistry. If it is separate then he has to sit higher for paper 2.

It absolutely isn't the same paper for combined and triple.
Combined is a 1h15 paper. Triple was a 1h45 paper, and examines more content.

But when there's 180 kids in a room sitting a mixture of papers the wrong paper very can occasionally be laid out. Happened once where I work with Foundation Maths. You'd hope the child notices they have the wrong paper when the announcement is made to check etc but this one slipped through the net.

Nothing to do with the preprinted register, just the wrong paper on the desk.

My subject is MFL which also has H and F papers and it is definitely easier to get a 5 on F than H. Yes, the mark required for a 5 is lower but the paper is so much harder. No way would I enter a 4/5 grade student for H.

If the above is true for science GCSE (it isn't true for maths either as I understand it) then the exam should be looked at closely.

Thank you , I’ll certainly make sure he triple checks and can see the F and combined science on his papers! He also has extra time and with the higher paper it was longer so he never got that either! There were two other children who were given the incorrect papers as well !
he’s predicted 4/5 so let’s hope he’ll get his 4 at least 🙏 he’s been told he’ll sit all other papers at the correct foundation level
luckily my son is not stressed and we are off to the beach today to relax and enjoy the weekend!

I’d be checking this with the school as if it’s combined then he now has to do the higher papers for physics and chemistry.

This isn't true. A child cannot be entered for mixed papers. A child who was entered for one tier and accidentally given the incorrect paper once does not have to sit more incorrect papers later on! That would be mental.

OP, it sounds like the school are doing everything they can. The exam board will be used to this happening and he will be given a fair grade in the end.

What a shame, hope this all works out.

Hi
this was his first GCSE exam , he was given the first paper triple higher and told them that was wrong, then was given combined higher which was also wrong but he didn’t know . He should have had combined foundation as predicted 4/5 (max). He also has extra time (25%) which he didn’t fully have as the paper he sat was longer than the foundation one

anyway our school have been brilliant, communication well and reassured us it will be sorted with AQA.

correct he’ll be given the correct papers for the rest of combined foundation exams and AQA will be informed. Just not what you want on the first day of GCSEs! It also happened to two other students .