Shock as unmarked exam papers found

Booklets from exam board Edexcel were picked up by a passer-by on the Birmingham New Road in Coseley. It has prompted fears that students' A-level results may suffer if the exam marks have to be awarded on predicated performance alone.

The papers found in the street were for A-level Business Studies, which was taken on June 16 this year, as well as additional answer sheets.

On the front of each one is the centre number, which is the school or college where the exam were taken, as well as the candidate's name and number. They appear to have come from three different examination centres.

The man who found the papers did not wish to be named but said: "It's quite bad that exam papers have been lost, as students potentially won't get their marks and there is the data protection issue.

"As it's around the time of year that exam papers actually get marked and these are untouched by the marker's pen I'm assuming that these have been misplaced by the marker, who has either lost them or had them stolen."

Dudley Council's cabinet member for children's services Councillor Liz Walker said she was shocked by the discovery. She added: "My anxiety will be for the students who will not get a mark if their are papers that have been lost.

"I hope the exam board do their investigation very quickly and there is not any impact on the pupils."

Last month Edexcel had to apologise to pupils taking GCSE applied French after an error meant 1,800 students were given two exams already taken in 2008.

The two reading and listening papers, taken on-screen, make up 40 per cent of the overall GCSE mark for the subject. No-one from Edexcel was available for comment.