A-level pupils will get an A by answering just 55% of their maths exam correctly

STUDENTS who got nearly half the answers wrong on their A Level maths exam will still get an A in today’s results.

Pupils only had to get a meagre 55 per cent in the exam to bag the mark – believed to be the lowest ever needed for an A grade.

Even pupils who only managed 14.3 per cent would still get an E, which is considered a pass.

Experts warned the pass mark could have been slashed as weaker pupils are taking the exam because schools now get a £2,400 bonus for every extra pupil taking A Level maths.

The leaked copy of the grade boundaries is a massive embarrassment for examiners Edexcel.

And it comes as hundreds of thousands of nervous pupils pick up their results today.

Some 60,000 students sat the Maths A Level in June, which was designed to be tougher to pass.

EVEN 14.3% IS A PASS

Barnaby Lenon, chair of the Independent Schools Council, told : “This is the first cohort taking Maths A-level encouraged to do so by the extra money that schools get.

“What that means is, you may have a group of weaker students taking Maths A-level than there were in the past.

“It may be that you only need low marks to get reasonably high grades due to the combination of students and hard exams.”

Pearson, who own Edexcel, furiously blamed schools for the embarrassing leak.

A spokeswoman said: “All boards share grade boundary info with schools a day in advance to help teachers prepare and support their students better on results day.

“Schools are trusted to treat the info confidentially on behalf of their students and the vast majority do.”

It comes as business chiefs warned students are failing to try hard at their A Levels because unis are dishing out too many unconditional offers.

The number of unconditional places – which give students a uni spot no matter what results they get – have rocketed in the past five years and now account for 14 per cent of all offers.

Mike Cherry, boss of the Federation of Small Businesses, stormed: “Small businesses want to hire the best, knowing that pupils have gone through the highest levels of education without easy routes or shortcuts, which is why it is essential to review the university admissions process and ensure the integrity of the education system.”

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