𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

More than 1,000 teenagers may have been given the wrong grade for their maths GCSE last year – hurting their chances of being accepted into sixth forms or studying maths a-levels. Conservatives are now demanding the papers are re-marked, after the mistake was spotted by a teacher at London’s Michaela Community School. Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott said: “More than 1,000 young people missed a GCSE Maths grade by one mark. Some could now be forced into unnecessary resits, while for others that grade lower could affect their life chances through no fault of their own.”

Ofqual, the official exams watchdog, has also expressed concern about an exam last year overseen by examination board Cambridge OCR. Question six, asking students to provide the “error interval” for the width of an object, used a different approach to previous years – which meant it differed from the one pupils had been taught. As a result, students were unable to give the answer required, according to maths teacher Brett Williams-Yale.

He was shocked to discover 1,609 pupils who took the exam nationwide missed a grade by just one mark. It suggests many hundreds of pupils were penalised because of the faulty question.

Mr Williams-Yale said: “There are more than 1,000 kids out there who are one mark away from the next grade up. Some of them will have failed maths because of this. But they have no idea.

“In the past, teachers have understood the answer the examiners want, and so that’s the answer we’ve taught the children to put down.

“But last year they changed the standard.”

Mr Williams-Yale’s concerns were confirmed after he submitted a complaint to regulator Ofqual. The watchdog ruled that the approach taken in this question “is inconsistent with the approach taken in other comparable questions”. And Ofqual said: “This inconsistency raises concerns about the clarity of the assessment and the extent to which candidates could be expected to interpret the requirements in a predictable and fair manner.”

Ofqual is now considering whether further action is required.

Many school sixth forms and colleges have minimum grade requirements for both maths and English to allow pupils to study A-levels, with higher requirements for science or maths subjects.

Mr Williams-Yale said: “There will be some children who failed maths and had to retake it, or can’t do the A-level combinations they want to do or the apprenticeship they wanted to do, or missed out on a sixth form place.”

Ms Trott has written to Ofqual warning that unless new grades are awarded “there is a risk not only to confidence in a single examination series, but to trust in the integrity and fairness of the qualifications system more broadly”.

She said: “This is about basic fairness. Trust in the exam system matters. When a mistake is identified, it is only right that it is put right and corrected. Ofqual has upheld the complaint, it is not acceptable for OCR to sit back and do nothing.

“I have written to OCR requesting a meeting and urging them to think again and remark the papers. When a mistake has been identified, doing nothing is not good enough.”

A Cambridge OCR spokesperson said: “This question, which was the subject of one complaint from a single school, was written and marked based on correct mathematics. Questions in 2017, 2019 and 2024 were marked in the same way as the 2025 question without any complaint or concern from schools.

“Our analysis found the question successfully assessed student ability. Those who did better on the exam overall were also more likely to get this question right. Claims that 1,000+ students near grade boundaries missed out because of this question are not backed by the facts.

“It would not be fair or appropriate to accept incorrect answers to this 2025 question.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Ofqual, as the independent regulator, is responsible for regulating exam boards, making sure their qualifications are delivered consistently, and meet required standards.

“Across the entire education system, this government is committed to delivering high and rising standards for every child, so that they have the opportunity to achieve and thrive – exams play a critical role in this.”