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Pupils hopeless and crying after 'poorly worded' Higher Maths exam
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Pupils hopeless and crying after 'poorly worded' Higher Maths exam

BBC News · May 11, 2026, 3:04 PM

Key takeaways

  • More than 11,000 people have signed a petition calling for a review of the paper, which states it was "poorly worded, inconsistently structured, and out of step with every previous paper".
  • Newly-created exam body Qualifications Scotland said all papers were checked to make sure they are "clear, fair and suitable".
  • About 20,000 pupils sat the Higher Maths exam last year.

Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.

Mary Mc Cool BBC Scotland Getty Images Pupils in Scotland have told the BBC they were left upset, hopeless and fearing for their futures after sitting a Higher Maths exam which they said was "totally unrecognisable" from what they had prepared for in class.

More than 11,000 people have signed a petition calling for a review of the paper, which states it was "poorly worded, inconsistently structured, and out of step with every previous paper".

One of the main complaints the BBC has heard is that some "command words" - the words that indicate how you should answer the question - were different to what pupils had been taught to expect, so they did not know what was being asked.

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