Unanswerable Economics exam question leaves third years fearing for grad jobs

Students were left outraged and worrying about their degrees and graduate job offers after an error in a third-year Economics paper this morning.

The already notoriously difficult ‘Macroeconomics 3’ paper, described as a “blood bath” by one student, contained a large error on one question that also had a knock-on effect on other questions.

Paper setters missed out a variable ‘k’, an integral part of the equation in the botched question, causing confusion among students sitting the exam.

According to multiple sources, the paper setter could not be contacted, and students were interrupted four times while examiners scrambled to save the situation, at one point telling students that the question may or may not be wrong, but to answer in the way that they thought was right.

Freddie, a student who sat the paper, said “It would have been nice of the paper setter to at least buy me dinner before fucking me for three hours. I hope he enjoyed his Saturday morning lie in.”

Students have told The Tab that the error affected their performance on the entire paper, and now they are worried about how it will affect the overall mark that they get in their degree:  “[It] led us to feel really unsure about the rest of the paper. I think the department should have a really hard look at this situation as it is not good enough because a lot of us need a 2:1 for our graduate jobs and we don’t think we have got them.”

Another added to these worries: “I’ve kissed goodbye to what little hope I had of achieving a first, and now will be lucky to come away without a Desmond.”

Another affected student said: “I’ve never worked so hard for an exam before and still felt so helpless when I opened the paper.”

Many students have now emailed the department voicing their concerns

Freddie added: “The exam was catastrophically bad. I now see why Macroeconomics-3 has earned its title as the “first killer”, it was a case of damage limitation from the start.”

A Facebook group has been set up with over 100 members to keep students updated on news about the situation, and a Facebook chat where students are discussing the exam has started describing Central Hall, where the exam took place, as “The 2:1 swallower” or the “TuTu factory”.

The Economics department told one student who emailed voicing his concerns that: “We are following up with colleagues and our Exam Office on the issues you have raised with the Macroeconomics 3 exam this morning. We will be back in touch once we can reply more fully.”

If you have had similar issues with any of your exams, get in touch by emailing [email protected]