Lost Exam Papers

System
System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
edited June 18 in AAT student discussion
I can't believe it - i have just received a letter from the AAT to say that my BTC paper has been lost!!
I am so annoyed (thought better of a swear word or att will remove the thread) :evil:

Is anyone from FTC Norwich in the same boat??

I just cant believe it - just 2 days before results and havinf already paid ACCA!!

Comments

  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers

    I can't believe it!! That is terrible news, what happens now, have they said you have to do it again??
    I am really sorry to hear that, You have my sympathy... :cry:
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers

    What have they said? Have you got to resit? Can't see any way round it. can't see them passing you by default.

    Maybe ACCA will let you start anyhow. If you do taxation with ACCA in December there'll only be one lot of revision :D
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers

    Basically the AAT are going to keep chasing royal mail as it was sent recorded delivery etc and will keep us informed. But basically if they havent sorte dit by 15 september, will arrange for all of us unlucky people to resit immediately.

    Not an ideal situation, but better than waiting till december.

    As for my progression onto ACCA, thankfully I took 3 of the optional units rather than 2 in case i did ICAEW to get more exemptions. So as long as I have passed DFS and PTC I will still have passed AAT and still get me exemptions from ACCA.

    I just feel totally gutted, as I spend so long revising for the exam and thought that i had done enough to pass. Now i will never know, and what is the point of resitting?
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers

    This is just completely unforgiveable and the AAT needs to seriously look at their operations in order to stop this from happening again.

    Nothing that anyone says to you or recommends to you could make you feel any better.

    I would demand an apology from the AAT at the very least.

    Good luck and I hope you get the outcome you want.

    Kind regards
    Steve
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers

    hold on a second here where did they get lost ? when FTC posted them or when AAT posted them to the exminers to be marked ?

    i would be inclined to seek compensation from FTC or AAT
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers

    Hi

    I read an article a while back (sometime in the past 2 years) about some ACCA exam papers that went missing on route from a London exam centre. The Securicor (or similar) van that was carrying them from the centre to the ACCA was robbed and the robbers took off with what they could. I sure they probably handed themselves in out of misery, after what they found in the bags!

    However, the ACCA were really good. They arranged a resit paper ASAP, arranged a special revision course via BPP and waived the student’s registration/membership fees for the next 3 years. Perhaps you should tell the AAT about this? Sending exam scripts by recorded delivery instead of a courier service is far too risky.

    Neil
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers

    NeilH wrote:
    I'm sure they probably handed themselves in out of misery, after what they found in the bags!
    :lol:

    Not that it's any compensation but doesn't the blame rather lie with the Royal Mail rather than the AAT? Even then, I understand mail loss is quite rare and I do think we still have a high quality mail service despite what the papers say.

    Of course, with hindsight, maybe a courier service should have been used but in an age where some members already think subscription/exam costs are too high, wouldn't this only increase them further for something that's unlikely to happen again for at least a few years?

    One interesting thing though... let's assume the mail is only temporarily lost and not actually destoyed. What would happen if/when it does eventually get delivered and people have already done resits? Would it still be marked? What if it was discovered someone passed their first exam but subsequently failed the resit?! :shock:

    Regards,

    Robert
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers

    I dont think anyone knows on here where the paper was lost - nor who's responsibility it was. However the AAT is ultimately responsible - whether it was in the delivery or safe storage.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers

    Sara81 wrote:
    I dont think anyone knows on here where the paper was lost - nor who's responsibility it was. However the AAT is ultimately responsible - whether it was in the delivery or safe storage.
    The original poster - sjbherself - was informed by the AAT that the Royal Mail had lost it. If we post our own personal mail by recorded delivery - normally a trustworthy method - and it gets lost, we don't as a matter of course blame ourselves for the lapse of security, do we?

    Robert
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers

    dare I suggest that it is easy for them to blame the service and not themselves? They wouldn't send them individually, so me thinks there is something else wrong.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers

    if it got lost from exam centre to AAT then its exam centres fault unless they can prove it got delivered to the AAT

    if it got lost AAT to examiners then its AATs fault

    either way i think you should be allowed to sit exams free of charge and within the next month or so while the info is still fresh !
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers

    Ok, I wasn't lucky enough to get a letter from the AAT telling me that my DFS paper had been lost. I found out from my emailed results which said DFS - No script. Have just found out "immediate" resists are the December one's (no special treatment there) and I am one of 26 people who have been affected by this out of 3 centres across Britain. Small comfort to know that I am not the only one but extremly depressing as these were my finals to become fully qualified. I passed PCR & PEV but am struggling to be joyous due to Royal Mail's incompetance (sorry needed to moan). The papers I have been told were lost en route from the exam centre to the marker so the fault lies with Royal Mail and yes they were sent Recorded for what it's worth, so anyone else who is in this boat, I know how you feel and am disappointed that I have to wait another 4 mths to resist and 6 mths to become qualified (assuming I pass the second one) :roll:
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers

    I know that it is disconcerting to have the papers go missing but the blame may not necessarily lie with Royal Mail, it may be with Parcelforce. It may also be because they weren't packed properly or labelled properly, any one of 100 different scenarios.
    One would have thought that with the money they rake in from us, they would use couriers to ensure door to door delivery.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers

    I also received a NS result today - PCT at GLOSCAT - does anyone know if this is one of the 3 Centres in the country to be affected?
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers

    Give student services a call Linda, they can let you know, I do not know the other centre affected but I know so far Norwich and Lincoln have been.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers

    I rang Student Services today and was told that I should have received a letter on 18th August informing me that my paper had been lost between the examing body and the marker (by the Royal Mail). They are giving until the 14th September for the papers to be found, after which we will be automatically re-entered for the December sitting. I am fortunate to already be a full member and was only doing the exam as an optional extra - so things aren't as bad for me, however it was still a load of work for nothing!!!
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers

    WOW!, I just cant believe what im reading. :shock:

    I sat my exams this year with loads of other stuff going on and made the decision that if I fail that was it because I wasnt finding it enjoyable anymore, luckily I passed but if this had happened to me I wouldnt have carried on any further, all because people/organisations/groups etc cut costs and corners.

    Do these people really consider when going for the cheaper option how much it will impact on others if all goes wrong? :x

    Sorry to butt in but im just so shocked :shock:
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers


    Since the AAT is probably run like most other organisations, I'd imagine there's a considered element of "acceptable loss" in its operations i.e. if the cost of providing a better service or product outweighs its perceived benefits and would result in reduced profitability, then most companies won't introduce the improvement and happily suffer the consequences if and when they happen.

    I'm not saying that wasn't happened isn't terrible - it is - but would students and members be happy to accept increased subscriptions or exam costs to pay for an improved courier service even though the occurrence of lost exam papers is still fortunately quite rare? We're used to hearing the bleating of local authorities, when reviewing council tax services, that costs for 'improvements' have to be passed on to the consumer while rarely absorbing the costs themselves.

    Regards,

    Robert
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers

    Shouldnt we demand that a professional body who's purpose is to educate and promote qualifications ensures that this area of their operation works?

    The other stuff - website design, new offices - are add-ons.

    From their polic: "Our vision is to be a strong, visible and respected body for accounting technicians; to offer internationally recognised membership and qualifications, which are valued by the public, employers and the business world."

    It doesnt metnion anything about there being an acceptable number of students who's lives will be messed up because we are inefficient.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers

    Losing exam papers regardless who lost them is inexcusable. There seems to be too many involved in the process, markers, carriers, AAT. Why can't the markers have access to a database so as they mark a paper, the results are entered direct into it so if papers get lost, then the results can still be accessed via a computer. In this day and age of technology, why is something this important still paper based?
    Anyway, I really hope those who have had papers lost have them turn up somewhere before a re-sit is enforced.
    Mandy
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers

    To be honest, although this would not be right and probably not admitted, I think that the resits if all of those papers who were lost would be marked more leniently, because to pass an exam first time and then have to sit it again only to fail is just not right.

    It seems to me that things posted recorded delivery often seem to get lost
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers

    The thing that has annoyed me the most with the AAT is the way the whole situation has been handled. The fact that they knew about these lost papers 6 weeks ago yet chose to inform the "unlucky" ones by letter which was written and posted on Friday 17th August is not acceptable. I have only just received my letter informing me that my paper is one of these today. 1 day after the official release date 2 days after (or 3 in my case) of the emailed results. After Royal Mail's striking actions recently wouldn't it have been more fair to inform us well before the exam release day so that I did not have to go through a distressing day? The AAT is supposed to be there to support it's students and members alike but I feel let down.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers


    I was about to write that surely, if it was discovered six weeks ago - only a little later than the orginal exam sittings themselves - I'm surprised an emergency resit couldn't be arranged and the administrative complications somehow overcome. That way, the 'new' papers could still be inserted into the marking schedule.

    But... they posted the questions online only a week or so after the actual sitting dates, killing off any hopes of a resit in the event of disasters like this. I suppose even if they hadn't you'd still roughly remember the questions and thus have an unfair advantage. So how about the introduction of an emergency contingency paper perhaps?

    On a similar note, can anyone see the point in posting the questions online so soon after the sitting dates but still not releasing the answers even now, more than two months later? It's like telling a joke but not delivering the punchline...

    Maybe there's a lesson to be learned there for the AAT?

    Robert
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers


    I totally agree Robert why if you already know a batch of papers are missing post the questions on the website,they have caused a huge problem for themselves and as this goes live on the forum the powers to be just sit there and do nothing 6 weeks they have had head in sand Job I think.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Lost Exam Papers


    Sorry John, I was slightly editing my post as you were writing yours, answering my own question over why the same paper couldn't be re-sat since you'd largely remember the questions.

    However, I'm wildly assuming here that there would routinely be several question papers prepared for each exam (so if any were compromised they could easily be replaced) with one ultimately being selected as "The One". So if more than one did exist, then one of the others could surely be used as a contingent back-up in case of emergencies such as that which happened?

    While the AAT can't necessarily be blamed for the loss of the original answers, I'd argue they were definitely negligent in not reacting quickly enough once the loss had been discovered.

    Robert

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