Exam chiefs at the Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC) have apologised after four pages of questions on Shakespeare were omitted from an A-level English language and literature paper, leaving students in tears and teachers aghast.
The error meant that pupils who had spent two years studying Othello, The Tempest and Much Ado About Nothing opened their exam papers to find no questions on the Bard. Teachers described a 'moment of horror' as they feared they had taught the wrong texts.
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru said candidates had been 'let down' by the blunder, which occurred in the first summer exams after three years of Covid disruption. Director Eithne Hughes said: 'These are the first exam papers that have gone out in three years. You would expect them to be correct and expect quality assurance.'
WJEC, based in Cardiff, acknowledged a 'question paper collation error' and said it would take action to ensure no candidate is disadvantaged. However, the mistake will not be investigated until after results day in August.
Parents took to social media to describe the distress caused, with some students left in tears. The error has further dented the confidence of a cohort that never sat GCSEs or AS-levels due to the pandemic.
