Schools pulp GCSE papers

Maths test copies found in street

NEARLY 50 schools in Northern Ireland have been forced to scrap next week’s GCSE maths test after copies were found on a road.

The examination was due to be sat at 48 centres across the country on June 8 but it has been scrapped and replaced. It is understood two sets of the AQA Maths paper two were spotted in a street in Wales last week. The Assessment and Qualifications Alliance’s Claire Thomson said: “A package containing two different sets of exam papers was found by a member of the public. “The papers should have been delivered to a school in Wales by our external couriers, who are urgently investigating what happened. “We can’t take the risk that someone may have seen the exam questions and gained an unfair advantage – it wouldn’t be fair on the students who have worked so hard towards their exams.” The test was due to be sat by hundreds of students in Northern Ireland and thousands more in England and Wales. All exam centres were advised about the issue by email after the discovery was reported. A new version of the test with different questions is on its way to schools and colleges in Northern Ireland causing no disruption to the process. Ms Thomson said: “We’re replacing the papers with new ones and these are going out to schools with plenty of time before the exams. “There’s absolutely nothing for students to worry about – they should carry on with their revision as normal, and we wish them well.”

REPLACED Test