Pupils at a Derry school were given the wrong exam results following a blunder by the board charged with marking their papers, it was revealed today.
Eighteen out of 22 English literature students at Dominican College in Portstewart, Co Derry, had their AS-Level grades upgraded, some rising from an E to an A, after the school queried their poor performance.
The English-based examination body, Edexcel, blamed an administration error for giving out the wrong marks.
It apologised for the distress caused to parents and pupils during the month-long time lapse between the first grades being sent out and the correct results being issued at the end of last week.
The mix-up is the latest in a series of mistakes made by boards in both A-Levels and the new AS-Levels.
Ms Fern Turner, of the Association of Head Teachers, expressed concern that the fledgling system was overstretched.
"When you are talking about mistakes from E and D right up to A then we are talking about a very, very serious issue," she told BBC Radio Ulster.
"That isn't just a simple mistake, that is a fundamental error that could have long lasting effects on that young person's future career."
PA