Bolton students in tears over exam blunder
STUDENTS left an exam in tears after a mix-up over times meant they failed to finish the paper.
Information on a board in the exam hall of Thornleigh Salesian College said pupils had 90 minutes to complete an AS-Level paper in English.
But they were stopped after 60 minutes when it emerged staff had made a mistake.
The exam was only meant to last an hour.
The blunder meant most pupils - who had been working to the 90-minute limit - did not finish the paper.
The school has apologised for the error and has contacted the exam board, AQA, to explain why papers are unfinished.
Students from the lower sixth form sat the paper, on Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, on Monday Morning.
Clearly written on the whiteboard was "English exam one-and-half-hours", with the start and finish times spelled out.
The error came to light when one student finished the paper and asked if he could leave the exam.
Realising the mistake, invigilators asked the remaining students if they needed more time. It is understood that 18 of the 20 sitting the exam said they did.
Invigilators decided they could not permit any more time, however, and all examinees were told to put their pens down.
Headteacher Alison Burrowes said: "Following the error we immediately contacted the examining board and it has assured us that students will not be penalised."
She added that in the preparation for the exam the students would have been aware it was an hour long.
"No student struggled to finish the exam," said Mrs Burrowes, "This was a genuine error and parents have been incredibly supportive."
But some parents have spoken of their concern.
One said: "We were told the onus was on the student to read the instructions on the paper, but the invigilators should have checked.
"The start and finish times were written out to help students, and all it did was confuse them. We were told by the school what had happened was unfortunate and was one of those things."
Another parent added: "These are important examinations, I hope that no student is penalised for what has happened. Re-sits are not cheap.
"Some were in tears and all but two students said the mix-up in the times had an effect on how they did."
AS-level examinations sat by pupils in the lower sixth contribute to the final A-level results.
A spokesman from the AQA said: "Our policy is, wherever possible, that candidates should not be disadvantaged because of circumstances outside their control. We would have to look at circumstances and have a dedicated team to deal with issues like this which crop up during the examination season."
12:42pm Thursday 15th May 2008
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