Exam board Cambridge OCR has been fined £270,000 by regulator Ofqual following significant errors in its 2025 physics A-level and AS-level papers and mark schemes.
Ofqual stated that 12 identified mistakes in the papers and mark schemes resulted in some students being issued incorrect grades.
Crucially, two errors discovered only after results day meant 37 students – 33 at AS-level and four at A-level – saw their final grades increase by one.
The remaining exam errors were identified and rectified either before tests, with correction notices sent to schools, or prior to results, ensuring candidates received full marks for affected questions.
Institute of Physics chief executive Tom Grinyer said it is important these issues are not repeated in future to avoid jeopardising growing demand among students for physics.
Amanda Swann, Ofqual’s executive director for delivery, said: “Students deserve quality exam assessment materials.
“After years of hard study, these unacceptable failures caused anxiety for students during their exams.
“Some were issued incorrect grades.”
Ofqual said Cambridge OCR failed to ensure paper content was fit for purpose, and also failed to have in place clear arrangements for schools to request adjustments to marks because of errors.
A Cambridge OCR spokesperson said: “We accept this judgment and we are very sorry to the students and teachers who were affected by these mistakes.
“We did not meet the high standards that students and teachers deserve, and that we set for ourselves.
“When these issues came to light, we acted to support students and minimise any impact.
“We undertook a detailed root cause analysis, using the findings to improve our processes.
“We are determined to learn from this and to improve, and we are continually refining our processes.
“We’re grateful to all the physics teachers, students, subject experts, and Ofqual, for their scrutiny, feedback and insights that have helped improve our approach.”
The news comes as a number of GCSE and A-level exams could be taken on screens by 2030 under new proposals from the exams watchdog.
Proposals in a consultation launched on Thursday could see GCSEs in smaller-entry subjects, including certain languages, and most A-level exams – excluding maths – moved onto screens by the end of the decade.
Ofqual is asking for views on allowing each of the four exam boards to propose two new specifications for on-screen assessment, replacing traditional pen and paper.
Approval could mean eight new GCSE, AS or A-level exams with at least one digital component.
Under the proposals, exam boards will not be able to put forward on-screen exams in subjects taken by more than 100,000 pupils in a year, which includes many of the main GCSE subjects, as well as A-level maths.
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