NI Education: Exam board apologises for results delay

The OCR exam board has apologised after some students in Northern Ireland failed to receive results on Thursday.

Pupils taking OCR Cambridge Technical qualifications have been affected by the delay.

The qualifications in subjects like Information Technology and Business are equivalent to A-Levels.

One parent of a pupil who failed to receive their grades told BBC News NI that his son had been "left in limbo" as a result.

The majority of pupils in Northern Ireland take A and AS-Levels through the Northern Ireland exams board, the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA).

They received their results on Thursday.

But some pupils in Northern Ireland sit A-Levels or equivalent qualifications through English exam boards like the OCR.

When contacted by BBC News NI, OCR said that some students across the UK had been affected but they could not specify how many in Northern Ireland faced a delay in getting results.

In a statement, a spokesperson for OCR said: "While the vast majority of Cambridge Technicals results were delivered on time to tens of thousands of students, we are sorry for a delay in issuing results for some students.

"In these exceptional cases, we are working with schools and colleges to deliver results as soon as possible.

"We expect schools and colleges experiencing delays to receive their results by Saturday morning, and in many cases sooner.

"We are working with UCAS and liaising directly with universities where necessary to ensure delays do not affect entry to higher education."

The statement added the OCR was doing everything possible to "resolve this rapidly".

"We are grateful to students, schools and colleges for their patience, and we are sorry for any additional stress this has caused," it continued.

But one parent of a pupil in Northern Ireland who failed to receive their OCR results in Information Technology as expected on Thursday called the delay "unacceptable".

"Without this result universities have been unable to process his application and pupils are now left unsure whether or not they will be accepted onto their course," they told BBC News NI.

"If they have to go through the UCAS clearing system they are at a disadvantage as others will have already been able to access courses.

"I feel for my son and his friends who are left in limbo unsure as to what their options are.

"Instead of spending the day with each other celebrating or commiserating they are unable to do so as they await their results from OCR."