I am sure this is an acceptable collective noun, given the fun and games caused by yesterday's official A' level mock.

This term WTA have paid for proper external papers for S4 and S6 mock exams. It gives the students a genuine practice run for the real thing in October and the papers are marked externally - which can be a good thing. Plus it seems that the mock exam questions may even be an indicator of what will come up on the actual final paper.. but have not explored that one too fully.

But having paid for these external papers, you would hope they would be accurate. Not so.... Em and I checked over the French mock paper for one student and between us found more than 50 spelling mistakes on one paper. On registering our complaint, both officially and unofficially.. Charles commented resignedly that perhaps the exam-board typist doesn't know French very well...

Imagine my rising hysteria on checking the A' level English Lit paper and finding the following errors - all real and not invented, I promise:

1) "In Olive Twist by Charles Pickns, discuss the theme of suffering" - perhaps the feminist version?

2) "In Far from the Madding Crown by Thomas Hardy........." - undoubtedly in honour of the Jubilee?

3) "In Twelfth Night (so far so good..).... Malvolio is a victim of his own jolly. Discuss."

- hmm perhaps the worst typo.. Twelfth Night might well be a comedy... but think that the title concerns Malvolio's 'folly' more than his clowning ability......and so would the student be wrongfully penalised for not guessing what the typist really meant? and would you lose all marks for writing an essay on Malvolio's comedy potential and not his stupidity?

one more question..

4) "Compare and Contrast the weary acceptance of such frequent typing errors with the great and collective UK Parental Outrage and Media Coverage over a single mistake on any public exam paper"

Discuss.

Roll on the end of term. And the introduction of Proof Readers.. or is it Prof Redders?