AQA loses GCSE PAPERS!!! - LOLLL

Almost half a million GCSE exam papers are being replaced following an "inadvertent spillage" from one delivery van and a theft from another.
The security breaches affect a dozen exams in science, history and French set by the AQA exam board.

They are due to be taken by students next month. Replacement papers are being printed and sent out.

AQA has apologised to schools and colleges for the inconvenience. It says students should carry on as normal.

Recall

The board's letter to exam centres said the security breaches were "the result of the theft of a Parcelforce van which, as part of its load, was carrying AQA question papers for routine delivery to centres for this summer's examinations and to the inadvertent spillage of confidential examination material from a second Parcelforce van".


Click here for a list of the papers involved.
AQA's director of people, communications and research, John Milner, told the BBC News website he did not have details of the incidents.

He said the board was talking to the company about what had happened.

The papers had been destined for particular locations in England but GCSEs are taken in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

When the breaches came to light, deliveries were halted.

To avoid confusion, the board was recalling all the papers which had been delivered already, prior to sending out replacements.

'Carry on' message

The replacement questions had had been intended for future exams and had been through the normal checking process already, Mr Milner said.

The whole thing would cost "many thousands of pounds".

"The main issue for us is to reassure the public, centres and students, that they are going to have the examination - the integrity has been maintained and we have taken decisive action to make sure that happens."

From the students' point of view nothing was different, he stressed - they should carry on preparing for their exams as normal.

A spokeswoman for Parcelforce said both incidents happened in April.

The van was stolen on the 19th in the Leyton area of east London. Police were investigating.

As for the "spillage" of exam papers, she said: "It appears - and we are still investigating - that they were lost from a van in Nottingham. We are not entirely sure what happened."

That matter, on April 12, came to light only when some of the papers were handed in to AQA.

The spokeswoman added that Parcelforce had been working closely with the board, had apologised for what had happened, and wished all students well with their exams.

A similar incident happened a year ago when sealed boxes containing papers for GCSE English literature, geography, German and Spanish from two exam boards were found in a street in Croydon, south of London.

They had been stolen at knifepoint from a Parcelforce van.



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2005 GCSE PAPERS BEING REPLACED

3468/1F Science (Double Award) A Modular Paper 1F 6 June pm
3468/1H Science (Double Award) A Modular Paper 1H 6 June pm
3469/F Science (Single Award) A Modular Written 6 June pm
3469/H Science (Single Award) A Modular Written 6 June pm
3042/7/1 History B and Short Course Paper 1 9 June pm
3042/7/2 History B and Short Course Paper 2 21 June am
36504/LF French B (Modular) Listening Foundation 9 June am
36504/LH French B (Modular) Listening Higher 9 June am
36504/RF French B (Modular) Reading Foundation 20 June pm
36504/RH French B (Modular) Reading Higher 20 June pm
36504/WF French B (Modular) Writing Foundation 20 June pm
36504/WH French B (Modular) Writing Higher 20 June pm



It just had to happen in nottingham didnt it

i thought that these sorts of things would have been tightened up - after all when i sat my AS physics paper through edexcel - they had an UNANSWERABLE question in there!!!! LOL

More than 50 sixth formers have been told the A-levels they sat in January this year were wrongly marked.
The discovery by St George's School in Harpenden, Herts, came just months after 100 of its pupils were given the wrong GCSE grades in summer exams.

Head teacher Norman Hoare, who appealed against the marking, said he did have some sympathy for the exam board.

"It is inevitable mistakes will be made given the scale examinations when thousands are marked," he said.

He paid tribute to examination board AQA for remarking the scripts promptly as soon as they realised something was wrong.

He said: "They remarked the whole batch and I believe they would have done the same thing for any school."

About the wrong marking, that happened in my A level history exam too. Although, Im not sure if they actually acknowledged it publically.

I used to hate AQA exams because we used to do the exam 2 or 3 hours ahead of England, but because of their strict rules, we had to wait until the exam had started in England before we were allowed home

Check the other thread daoud!!!

This sort of stuff happens every year. Atleast here they are responsible enough to change all the papers etc.

i remeber last year they were selling the SAT papers in the market for a £100..

What a farce!

leyton..thats where i live...