MATSEC in talks with examiners after error in physics exam
‘There should not have been a mistake in a paper of that level’ – parent
MATSEC will be reviewing the exam papers of students who sat for the Intermediate physics exam after the paper contained missing values that made a particular question impossible to solve.
Students sitting for their physics exam on May 16 were scratching their heads for most of their exam, trying to answer a question that contained missing values in the diagram.
Over halfway through the session, invigilators informed them of the mistake in the paper.
MATSEC told Times of Malta that it was alerted to the problem a few minutes into the exam and immediately contacted all exam centres within the first hour to provide the necessary clarification.
However, in one exam centre, students were only informed of the mistake an hour-and-a-half into the examination session.
A parent of two students who sat for the exam said her son spent over 30 minutes trying to work out the impossible sum, only to be told late in the session about the missing value.
“There should not have been a mistake in a paper of that level,” the parent said.
In the meantime, MATSEC said it is in communication with examiners to review the feedback and will implement mitigation measures to ensure no students are adversely affected or unfairly penalised by the error.
Thousands of students are currently sitting for their A-level, Intermediate and O-level exams across Malta and Gozo.
The exams are pivotal in making sure students go on to study their preferred subjects at sixth form or the university. The exams are particularly consequential for students hoping to secure a spot in competitive university courses where only a limited number of students are accepted each year.