Impossible exam question blunder in 2011 A-level + GCSE examinations!

[Cosimo]

I surely can't be the only one to chuckle that that

There are many more.

Isn’t life tough for the little blighters! They should set them the answers and make ‘em derive the question. Now that would be some food for thought.

 

[meghatronic]

I sat the maths exam, the question was worth 11% of the paper. Now I want an A* so want 90% plus on all my exams. I therefore spent over 20 minutes after I had finished every other question trying to get the answer given but could not achieve it. Its not just playing the boo hoo card as it was a huge mistake for the exam board to do when they know that the highest students would have tried that question first because it was worth the most marks on the paper.

The boo hoo card means get over it, mistakes happen, provisions will be made. Your 90% for A* will probably end up about 60% because of "stress" and other stupid factors students and the media are going to go mad for.

I've had degree-level exam questions in the past (physics, chemistry), where there is no answer - you've been expected to work as far as you can and then say you can't continue without x or y.

(I hope you get an A*, though).

 

[joemo13]

The boo hoo card means get over it, mistakes happen, provisions will be made. Your 90% for A* will probably end up about 60% because of "stress" and other stupid factors students and the media are going to go mad for.

I've had degree-level exam questions in the past (physics, chemistry), where there is no answer - you've been expected to work as far as you can and then say you can't continue without x or y.

(I hope you get an A*, though).

Thanks, I think most of the problem was that there was an answer (Which I got but believed it was incorrect because of the mistake on the paper) if they just didn't give you a value then the question would have been fine.
I like the 6700ish other students want to know how the mistake happened in the first place and what the exam board will do to make the results fair to everyone.

 

[meghatronic]

I like the 6700ish other students want to know how the mistake happened in the first place and what the exam board will do to make the results fair to everyone.

Well, technically it is fair to everyone as it stands - as everyone was disadvantaged in the same way - with an unanswerable question.

 

[Hxc]

A student with good exam technique would have tried it, skipped over it and done the other questions before coming back to check it at the end. Exam technique is critical in getting good grades.