A school near Ipswich has contacted parents about an issue with a GCSE Maths exam this morning that will have affected hundreds of pupils across the country.
Kesgrave High School sent an email to parents and guardians to inform them that there was an issue with the GCSE Maths Foundation Tier Paper 3 from Wednesday morning.
This meant that the start time of the exam was delayed slightly.
The email claims this was an issue with AQA rather than the school, with the delay likely to have impacted schools across the country that were sitting the exam.
In the letter, they said: "The Foundation Tier paper contained a higher tier formulae insert sheet as opposed to the required Foundation Tier insert.
"This error by the exam board was noticed by a member of staff before the exam commenced and quickly rectified for all students taking the Foundation Tier.
"There was no loss of time for the students in the exam."
A student at the school said: "We went into the exam and the invigilators looked at the paper and told us all to stop and then we had to sit there in silence for around 25 minutes before beginning the exam at 9.30.
"It makes you nervous because you're sitting there getting more anxious about the exam and you wonder what might come up.
"I think the delay made everyone more nervous."
They were quick to praise the school with how they handled the situation, however.
A spokesperson for AQA said: "Students who sat AQA GCSE Maths foundation paper three had exam papers with higher tier inserts. Inserts contain formulae that aid students when they sit the exam.
"Students had the information they needed to sit the exam, as the foundation tier insert formulae are also in the higher tier version.
"There was one question on the exam paper that required the use of the formulae sheet. But we understand that this has had an impact on students and exams officers.
"AQA is grateful to exams officers for their professionalism in dealing with this matter.
"We are sorry for this mistake and accept responsibility, but it was an error made by a supplier; it was not related to union industrial action. We’re looking into how it happened.
"We’ve contacted schools and colleges today to give reassurance, and will be in touch again before results day to explain what we’ve done to make sure no learners are disadvantaged."
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