EXAM authorities have admitted to an error in this year's HSC biology exam which led to widespread confusion among students.A Board of Studies investigation into question eight of the multiple choice section has found that it included two potentially correct answers. The error was missed in the final checking process. A board spokeswoman said the two alternatives would be marked as correct.Data specialists will analyse the pattern of responses to all questions in the paper to decide if further action is required.
The erroneous question asked students, "What type of cells destroy virally infected cells?", with the answers (b) Killer T cells and (d) Cytotoxic T cells both potentially correct.The exam committee which set this year's biology paper consisted of six people - two from universities and four experienced teachers.The spokeswoman said the committee inadvertently wrote two correct answers after responding to issues raised by external assessors. ''The board places great importance on the credibility of its HSC exams,'' she said.She added: ''While this question was worth one mark in the biology exam, the board has not taken this error lightly.''
