ANGRY calls were made yesterday to strip exam board Edexcel of its licence after yet another test blunder.

David Hart, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said it was time that the under-fire board was stripped of its powers.

His comments came after the latest Edexcel blunder, when an examination paper asked candidates to answer all nine questions, despite there being 11 questions on the paper.

Headteachers in the North-East said they were nervous about possible errors in the future.

David Heaton, principal of Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College in Darlington, said: "I think they (Edexcel) got a real battering last year and they've got to be given the chance to make improvements.

"The concern I have is that, even if they improve their administration, I'm still nervous about the quality and accuracy of their marking."

David Henderson, headteacher of Hummersknott School, Darlington, said the Government needed to stop and rethink how often it put children through exams.

"I have great sympathy with Edexcel with students being examined at 14, 16, 17, and 18," he said.

"The kids need some respite because they can't cope with it.

"You have to ask - do we really need an exam at 14 and 16?"

Frank Wingate, Edexcel's head of external relations, said Mr Hart's call was ''unhelpful" and contributed nothing to the smooth working of the system and the wider debate that needed to be held.

''Two minor errors, out of the 500 Edexcel papers sat so far, have been highlighted in the media.

"This does not represent a system in trouble," he said.