Teachers' exam preview 'is cheats'charter'

Teachers from nearly three in four secondary schools have already seen the questions for this year's national English tests for 14-year-olds, which begin on Wednesday.

The decision to disclose questions and model answers to all teacher markers before the tests is unprecedented. GCSE and A-level questions are kept under wraps until the day of the exam. Although the teachers have been asked to sign confidentiality agreements, there is concern that some may inadvertently, or even deliberately, leak the questions to pupils.

Exam officials say they need to use this year's questions in training sessions for the 2,600 markers to ensure that marking is fair in the tests for 600,000 14-year-olds. Last year, the standard of marking in English tests was widely criticised and 20,000 pupils had their grades changed on appeal.

Teachers said some of the brightest pupils had not been awarded high enough grades and some of the least able had scored too highly because the markers were inexperienced. This year, officials at the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority (SCAA), which organises the tests, have insisted on more rigorous training for markers. It began on Saturday and was organised by the five GCSE exam boards.

During training, all markers were given this year's questions and senior markers helped them decide what sort of answer would be appropriate for each "level". Under the national curriculum, pupils progress along a scale ranging from levels 1 to 8 with most 14-year-olds expected to reach level 5 to 6.

David Blunkett, Labour's education spokesman, said: "It does seem very strange and worrying that so many individuals will have seen the tests before they are taken. I hope that this exercise does not undermine their validity."

Doug McAvoy, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said that with the best will in the world it would be difficult for markers not to pass on hints to their pupils. "It is impossible to believe the teaching of some of those involved will not be influenced by their knowledge. This will advantage some pupils over other pupils and underlines the deficiencies which continue to exist in the Government's system of testing."

An SCAA spokeswoman said: "We have put in more training for markers this year to get better quality marking. We have left this as late as we can. Pupils take the test on Wednesday and Monday is a bank holiday so there will be only one working school day between the training and the tests. To get the training done, we have to start before the tests begin.

"Papers from each school will be marked by an individual marker and it won't be the pupils' own teacher so, if they have been coached, it will show."

Until last weekend only around 100 senior markers had seen the questions.

For those teachers who are not markers, security has been tightened after allegations of cheating last year. Schools will be forbidden to open the papers until the day of the test and teachers will be told not to look at the mark scheme and answers until the tests are over.