THE examination season is upon us, and our thoughts are with the tens of thousands of young people about to endure the toughest few weeks of their lives so far.

Students place a great deal of trust in the agencies who administer the examinations.

They expect the papers to be accurate, fair and clear; to ensure that their examination results are an accurate reflection of their ability, revision and endeavour.

Last year there were too many instances of mistakes in the question papers, which simply added to the pressure and trepidation facing students.

We sincerely hope that lessons have been learned, and that the confidence in the examination boards so undermined last year can be restored.

The serious error in a paper sat by sixth form students this week suggests that last year's problems may not have been sorted out.

The most worrying aspect is that this mistake was made by the Qualification and Curriculum Authority, the body set up by the Government to ensure there is no repeat of last year's fiascos.

We hope this is an isolated occurrence and that this summer's examination timetable will not be blighted.

Complacency and silly errors by students are severely penalised by examiners.

Students have every right to expect the same high standards from the examination boards.

No need to wait

IN his television interview last night, the Prime Minister appears to be ready to mount a campaign for Britain to join the single currency.

We hope this is a signal that the referendum on our entry will be held sooner, rather than later.

While we accept that the decision on whether or not we join will be made by the British people, we fail to understand why it has been necessary to delay that decision for so long.

The continued uncertainty over where our future lies can only have a detrimental effect on our economy. The lack of clarity must weigh on the minds of potential inward investors considering coming to this country.

While eurosceptics point to the relative health of the British economy during this period of uncertainty, others can legitimately claim that the economy has performed well in spite of the uncertainty.