AS maths exam tested pupils on topics not taught, it's claimed
- Published
One pupil dubbed the test "almost impossible"
A maths exam contained questions on topics not taught in classrooms, it's been claimed.
One pupil dubbed the test "almost impossible" adding he and others were left feeling "desperate".
Elgan from Denbigh, a year 12 pupil at Ysgol Glan Clwyd, in St Asaph, Denbighshire, was shocked by the paper.
The WJEC exam board said the exam "did not rely on knowledge and understanding of any topics removed from assessment in 2022".
The test was among the first summer exams sat by pupils since before the pandemic.
The 17-year-old said: "There were some questions I was comfortable with but the majority were very difficult and unfair.
"We were very disheartened after the exam. We didn't know how other schools had fared and if it was just our school at first.
"But the general consensus from schools nearby was that it was a very difficult test and it was not really fair.
"Missing out on two years of exam experience and going into what, some teachers have said, was the hardest ever exam paper for maths AS level that has ever been defeats any logic.
"It was very tough."
Elgan said he was shocked when he saw the paper
Elgan said he wasn't the only one who had problems with the exam at his school and others.
"I looked left and right, and everyone felt the same, almost desperate," he said.
The teen said the test had affected his morale.
A maths teacher who did not want to be named believed some of the content put in the exam was a mistake.
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They said: "It could have a disastrous effect on our students and there's paper two coming up.
"At the beginning of the academic year a document was sent out to schools, and it's publicly available, telling people these topics have been taken off the course. Schools throughout Wales knew this."
But the teacher said a question on one removed topic appeared.
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"We were told these topics won't be assessed and they were.
"The students would like a statement from the WJEC that the subjects were included in error and won't be used in the marking."
They could not understand how the question got in the paper.
They said: "As a maths teacher there's no (room for) interpretation. It's as clear as that, it's not even a grey area, 100% those topics shouldn't have been on."
Senedd member Jane Dodds was among the concerned.
She said: "To hear the news there are potentially subjects, and matters and topics, in the maths paper that have not been taught... is really terrible for those young people.
"They will be worrying, they will possibly be quite afraid and fearful.
"So my reaction is of real concern for those young people."
Jane Dodds was concerned for pupils who had faced the exam
The WJEC has been approached for comment.
On Twitter it said the exam was "from the subject content and did not rely on knowledge and understanding of any topics removed from assessment in 2022".
Qualifications Wales said exams would be awarded more generously this year than three years ago.
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