WALES’ largest exam board has been fined £350,000 after more than 1,500 pupils in England were given the wrong GCSE grades.

The penalty, issued by the exams regulator Ofqual, follows mistakes in marking and moderation for the Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition qualification in 2024.

A total of 1,527 pupils were affected. Of these, 847 were undergraded and later had their results corrected in October, while 680 received higher marks than they should have and were allowed to keep them. The remaining candidates were unaffected.

Regulator calls it a ‘serious failure’

Ofqual described the incident as a “significant failure” that undermined confidence in the integrity of the qualifications system.

The £350,000 fine covers two breaches of exam regulations. The first, worth £175,000, related to WJEC’s failure to adjust teachers’ coursework marking to national standards. The second, also £175,000, was for allowing thousands of marking reviews between 2017 and 2023 to be carried out by assessors who had marked parts of the same papers – a breach of impartiality rules.

WJEC has admitted responsibility and co‑operated fully with Ofqual’s investigation. It has refunded schools and colleges more than £219,000 and says new procedures are in place to prevent a repeat.

Conservatives raise concerns over trust

Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education, Natasha Asghar MS, said the scale of the failure “undermines trust in the qualifications system and raises serious questions about oversight and governance.”

She added: “The WJEC must ensure robust safeguards are now in place to prevent such errors from happening again. Pupils across Wales deserve full confidence in the exam board ahead of results day next month and this incident does nothing to reassure them that their own grades will be accurate and reliable.”

WJEC response

In a statement, WJEC said it “deeply regretted” the error and its impact on pupils. The board stressed that the issue was confined to one qualification delivered in England and did not affect any GCSEs or A‑levels regulated by Qualifications Wales.

It added: “We have taken comprehensive steps to ensure such issues do not occur in the future, including strengthening our quality assurance processes and reviewing staff training.”

Impact on Welsh students

While the affected subject was part of WJEC’s Eduqas brand used in England, the incident has raised questions in Wales about whether the same vulnerabilities could appear in qualifications taken by Welsh students.

The fine comes just weeks before this year’s exam results are released, with education leaders urging WJEC to reassure pupils and parents that all marking this summer has been checked rigorously.

Pupils praised for innovation in tackling waste at school and home

PENNAR COMMUNITY SCHOOL has been recognised with a national award for its outstanding environmental work, winning the Innovation Challenge in the “Build a Waste-Free World” category of Keep Wales Tidy’s Climate Challenge Cymru.

The award, presented at a special ceremony in Cardiff last month, celebrates the school’s inspiring film project which documented its campaign to reduce waste both in school and at home. The school was among several honoured across Wales for their efforts to combat climate change, in an initiative backed by First Minister Eluned Morgan.

Each class at Pennar took on a different aspect of waste during the Spring Term, exploring topics such as plastic pollution, fast fashion and food waste. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 monitored the school’s food waste and worked closely with Jennifer James from the sustainability charity Awel Aman Tawe to find ways to reduce it.

Siân Taylor, the school’s Sustainability Lead, said: “Sustainability is at the core of everything we do at Pennar School, and the environmental work led by our Green Team has been embedded into our evolving curriculum.

“The project was inspired by discussions at our annual COP (Conference of Pennar) Climate Conference and has been entirely pupil-led. Every learner and staff member has taken part, and we are absolutely delighted to see their hard work recognised at the Climate Challenge Cymru Awards.”

Jennifer James added: “It has been truly inspiring to work with such engaged pupils across the whole school. This is a well-deserved award.”

The school’s Green Team has also been leading efforts to cut energy consumption and currently tops the Energy Sparks league table for Wales. Their work recently earned the school the prestigious Eco Schools’ Platinum Award.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and the Welsh Language, Cllr Guy Woodham, praised the achievement, saying: “These are fantastic achievements for Pennar Community School. The staff and pupils are showing an admirable commitment to tackling climate change. Well done to all involved!”

To see more about Pennar’s environmental journey, visit the Keep Wales Tidy Climate Challenge Cymru award winners page.

Children invited to read, explore, and win entry to Dr Beynon’s Bug Farm

YOUNG bookworms across Pembrokeshire are being urged to take on the Summer Reading Challenge – and could find themselves winning a golden ticket to one of the county’s most unique attractions.

Pembrokeshire Libraries have joined forces with Dr Beynon’s Bug Farm in St Davids to add extra excitement to this year’s challenge, which follows the enchanting “Story Garden” theme.

Hidden within 32 secret code-marked books are golden tickets granting free entry to the Bug Farm – an award-winning visitor site that blends science, nature, and farming. The lucky finders will be treated to a day of fascinating creatures and hands-on discovery.

The Summer Reading Challenge is a national initiative from The Reading Agency, run locally through Pembrokeshire Libraries. It encourages children to read six or more library books over the holidays, helping to maintain literacy skills, boost confidence, and inspire a lifelong love of reading.

Early sign-ups will also receive an additional reward, with the challenge officially launched by local children’s author Kerry Curson. She will host special events at libraries in Fishguard, Haverfordwest and Narberth to kick off the summer programme.

Throughout the break, weekly story and craft sessions will be held at full-time libraries in Fishguard, Haverfordwest, Milford Haven, Pembroke Dock and Tenby – all free of charge and linked to the Story Garden theme.

Reading through the summer not only keeps children engaged and learning but opens up whole new worlds of adventure and creativity. With golden tickets waiting to be found, this year’s challenge promises to be the most magical yet.

Families are encouraged to follow Pembrokeshire Libraries on Facebook for the latest updates, event details, and clues to uncover the hidden tickets:
https://www.facebook.com/PembrokeshireLibraryService