The controversial exam board Edexcel is taking legal advice over a website set up by an angry student.

Jonathan Higgs, 18, created a site on the internet mocking the board, which has been criticised for a series of mistakes with its papers in the last two years.

He named his site ''Edexhell'' and includes an on-line petition for people to join his campaign to have the board's accreditation withdrawn by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA).

The board was pilloried for including a faulty diagram in a maths AS-Level paper, and getting some papers out to exam centres late.

The company said it had invited Mr Higgs to visit their operation in London from his home in Gilsland, Northumberland.

But spokeswoman Stevie Patterson Dick added that Edexcel was also considering legal action about the critical website and wanted it shut down.

''We are a big company and you would expect us to protect our name,'' she said.

Mr Higgs set up the site after he complained about coursework in his Music A level which was originally classed as grade D but went up to a B on appeal in March.

The former pupil of Queen Elizabeth High School, Hexham, has won a place at Salford University to study Popular Music and Recording but said the problem he had with his music paper could have cost him his place.