Exams crisis as 200,000 call for re-marks

RECORD numbers of schools have sent their Sats papers back to be re-marked amid a dramatic loss of confidence in the exam system.

Last year 50,000 test grades were queried, but after this summer's marking fiasco the number has leapt to 200,000, with another 15,000 expected as headteachers demand an overhaul of the testing regime.

Kathleen Tattersall, chair of the Government's new exams watchdog Ofqual said the quality of Sats marking was "no worse" than in previous years.

But Mick Brookes of the National Association of Head Teachers said: "On the back of a four-fold increase in challenges, the statement that the marking is the same seems extraordinary."

The figures emerged after ministers apologised for the "shambles" that left 1.2 million pupils waiting for results after blunders by marking firm ETS Europe. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority's chief Ken Boston and David Gee, boss of the National Assessment Agency have both been suspended pending investigations.