STUDENTS sitting A-level mathematics had to wait for their exam to be faxed from Oxford when the examining body only sent half the paper.

Head teacher at St Theodore's High School, Burnley, Christopher Meehan said: "We realised the paper was not there at the end of the first module 'pure one' which lasted 75 minutes.

"The teachers contacted Oxford and Cambridge Examination Board who faxed a copy of the second module 'pure two' which was then photocopied."

Mr Meehan said there would normally be a break between the first and second modules, but this was extended to 20 to 30 minutes to give time for the second paper to be copied. He continued: "The exam finished at 1pm where as it would usually finish at about 12.30pm, but this still left time for the students to sit other papers in the afternoon."

The mathematics A-levels are now modular with students sitting papers over the two years rather than one long final exam.

The pure one paper was sat by 20 lower and upper sixth formers and the the older students sat pure two.

Mr Meehan added: "We have no quibble with the examining board; they were most helpful and got the paper to us straight away as soon as we alerted them to the problem - I think the students might have had more of a problem with the paper rather than the delay!"

No-one from the examination board was available for comment.

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