AQA to remark AS and A2 papers after irregularities found

· By Jordan Rowe

Ofqual, the examinations regulator has decided to investigate AQA after it found that some 630 students’ papers weren’t fully marked. Affecting 290 AS students and over 150 A2 students, some possibly at Richmond upon Thames College, Ofqual has found irregularities between the grades some pupils received on one side of their course compared to the other. This could result in students’ marks being upgraded some grade boundaries. The inquiry is also reporting that some GCSE results may be altered, although the majority of these are short course papers. Head of Ofqual, Isabel Nisbet said; "This is a very serious matter… AQA has assured us that they will make sure that the affected candidates are treated fairly and receive the marks their work merits as soon as possible. Once that is done, Ofqual’s inquiry will focus on what went wrong and why it was not spotted sooner." This comes after 600 students joined a Facebook campaign in June against the AQA English Literature exam for having texts too long to read in the time given. In January, the AQA Biology A-level exam was mired in controversy as more than 3,000 students sent angry messages to a Facebook group, calling the exam a ‘disgrace’ due to it not bearing any resemblance to the mocks they were given beforehand.

If you believe that you’ve been affected by this, call the AQA helpline on 08442096614. In the next issue of Noise we’ll be talking about the cost exam boards levy on students who want their papers to be remarked.