Cambridge apologises after 32 O-level A Math scripts go missing on UK train
Marker loses 32 'A' Maths exam scripts on UK train; students get derived grade
Barely a year after more than 200 A-level exam scripts were stolen, another batch of exam papers have gone missing in the United Kingdom.
The 32 Additional Mathematics Paper 2 answer scripts, which belonged to 20 students from Nan Hua High School (NHHS) and 12 students from Hong Kah Secondary School, now Jurongville Secondary School (JVSS), were lost after the bag they were in was picked up mistakenly by a passenger on a train.
The incident happened on Nov 21 last year, as the marker was making his way from London to the north of England.
The scripts have not been found despite a major investigation by Cambridge Assessment, which administers the examination and marks the scripts.
At a media briefing yesterday just before the O-level results were released, Cambridge Assessment apologised for the incident.
Mrs Juliet Wilson, its director of assessment, said it was working closely with the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) to ensure the affected students are not disadvantaged.
"We apologise for this incident and for the distress caused to candidates," she said. "We are conducting a thorough review of our procedures relating to handling of scripts."
The marker involved will also no longer be engaged by the institution to mark scripts.
The affected students were still given their O-level grades yesterday. Their marks in their Additional Mathematics Paper 1 were used to work out their percentile ranking within the cohort. This was then used to derive the missing Paper 2 mark, and their prelim results were also taken into account.
Out of the 32 affected, 29 obtained at least a passing grade, with 20 of them attaining either an A1 or A2.
OPTION TO RETAKE EXAM
The affected students were offered the option to retake their Paper 2 on Feb 15, but must decide by Friday.
A NHHS spokesman told The New Paper that the students "accepted the news calmly".
"The school is committed to ensuring that the students' interests and well-being are taken care of," he said.
"We have also deployed one of our teachers to work with and support the affected students who wish to take up the option of re-examination."
Mr Chan Yew Wooi, the principal of JVSS, said the school was prepared to help students who want to retake the paper.
Last year, the release of the A-level results in February was marred by the theft of 238 chemistry exam scripts from a courier company van delivering the papers from Cambridge Assessment's office to an examiner for marking.
Only three of the 36 students who retook the paper improved their grades.
Ms Tan Lay Choo, chief executive of SEAB, said it will be meeting with the senior management of Cambridge Assessment in about two weeks to discuss how to improve processes.
"Our priority now is to ensure that the affected candidates are not disadvantaged by the incident, and that they are given a valid and fair assessment for their Additional Mathematics examination."
SEAB will also be looking at a range of penalties to be taken against Cambridge Assessment, including financial penalties.
Ms Tan added that the SEAB has also been considering other ways of sending the scripts for marking, such as scanning and digitising them.
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