Around 140 students from nine Queensland high schools have been affected by a mix-up in their year 12 ancient history external exam, after they spent weeks preparing for a paper on Augustus but were instead tested on Julius Caesar.
One student, who spoke to Guardian Australia after completing the exam on Wednesday, described the error as “really disruptive”. They said journalists had been outside their school all day, adding: “We’re all just trying to move on with our externals because it’s been a bit disruptive what happened.”
The state’s education minister, John-Paul Langbroek, said he was “very unhappy” and indicated that heads would roll at the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA). He said the mistake would be “extremely traumatic” for students and parents, and that an investigation had been launched into how the QCAA communicates syllabus changes to schools.
Students learned of the error only days before the exam, which was held on Wednesday afternoon. The affected schools stretch from Cairns in the far north to Brisbane. Augustus, the first Roman emperor, was the adopted son and heir of Julius Caesar, and the confusion meant students studied the wrong historical figure for their final assessment.
Mr Langbroek sought to reassure students that they would not be disadvantaged, saying the 75% of the course mark for which they had already been assessed would be “scaled up”. However, he conceded he did not know whether Wednesday’s test would be declared “null and void”, adding: “I can’t see how anyone would be expected to do an exam having had two days’ preparation.”
