Exam boards to face fines

Exam boards are to be fined over future mistakes in GCSE and A-level papers.

It comes after a series of blunders in this summer's exams which affected tens of thousands of teenagers.

In a letter, Schools minister Nick Gibb said that following "significant" errors, the Government had considered whether Ofqual had sufficient powers.

Under new powers, a board could face a maximum financial penalty of 10 per cent of its turnover, with the size of any fine imposed in proportion to the scale and seriousness of the error. The new powers are expected to be in place next summer.