Ofqual has rebuked exam board Pearson for preventable failures in an Edexcel A-level maths exams sat by tens of thousands of pupils last summer. Ian Bauckham, chief regulator, said the problems caused “anxiety, stress and uncertainty” to students in his second “rebuke” to exam boards. He introduced the sanction last year for cases serious enough to warrant a public outcome, but below the threshold for a fine. The regulator said Pearson Edexcel repurposed contingency exam papers from 2022 as assessment papers in 2025 – sat by more than 75,000 students. This produced some content that was “unreasonably similar” to its 2022 A level maths paper. Pearson acknowledged that students who noticed similarities between their first papers might have been able to predict the questions on the planned second paper. The board replaced this planned second paper with a contingency paper. But this paper was not designed in conjunction with the first paper so did not ensure the same degree of content coverage. This meant some topics were over-assessed and others under-assessed. Ofqual said the board accepted the substitution “did not ensure the same degree of content coverage as the original pairings” but “nonetheless provided coverage that was in line with the specification.” Results trusted for progression The regulator concluded that the results could be trusted for progression to university and other destinations. It also accepted analysis from Pearson which indicated that any effect on students’ results was “so small as to be statistically insignificant” but added that “a sound outcome” did not “diminish the seriousness of the failures identified.” While Ofqual said the failures were “serious” and “entirely avoidable”, it decided to issue a rebuke rather than a fine, taking into account Pearson’s “assurances on the validity and reliability of results, its admission of the breaches and co-operation”. Bauckham said: “Tens of thousands of students sat these exams trusting that they had been properly designed and delivered. The failures by Pearson caused anxiety, stress and uncertainty at a time when students needed it least. “The problems that arose were foreseeable and preventable. We will always act to protect students and maintain confidence in qualifications.” Exam board apologises A Pearson spokesperson said they “take responsibility for not fully identifying and managing the risks linked to the use of contingency papers”. “We are sorry for the concern this has caused. We want to reassure learners and centres that all papers used in the 2025 summer series were valid and aligned to the specification. Students can be confident in the results they received. “We addressed the matter at the time and carried out a detailed review of our processes. As a result, we have strengthened our risk management, commissioning arrangements, and contingency planning.” Ofqual’s first rebuke was to WJEC, which failed to collect and monitor centre declaration forms over a six year period.