A school admitted making an error when it did not give pupils the full time to complete their GCSE maths exam - which included a notoriously difficult question.

Pupils in Year 11 at JFS, in The Mall, Kenton, complained after a mistake at the school resulted in their GCSE maths exam being cut short.

The paper included a question combining algebra and probability that went viral on social media after the test.

And at JFS, students were admitted to the exam ten minutes late, meaning they were not given the full time allowed by examining body Edexel.

The school notified the exam board, which says allowances will be given.

But one student who sat the exam, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I wouldn't say it's a major issue was just very annoying at the time [but] I feel as if the compensation they are trying to give us is unfair.

“Ten minutes in an exam could be worth at least eight marks and they plan on giving us one per cent apparently, which most students think is unfair.

“To be honest most of us have said we need at least five per cent minimum for the time that was lost.”

In a letter sent out today, headteacher Jonathan Miller apologised to pupils and parents for the mistake.

It read: “In this morning's Modular Maths GCSE examination it became apparent, after the examination had finished and once students had left the main hall, that we had made an error with the end time for the examination.

“As a result, students in this location were given ten minutes less than they should have been given to complete the examination.”

Mr Miller added that the school has already contacted Edexcel to explain the situation and request special consideration for all students.

The letter added: “We fully recognise that this will have caused distress and concern for both students and parents.

“We are, of course, extremely sorry that this error occurred and hope the information above will provide some reassurance in this unfortunate situation.”

However some students feel the school has reacted in the best way it can to the mistake.

One said: “It’s such a shame because I love the school so much, I’ve been there since Year 7 and never had a bad experience from them.

“I think it was an honest mistake, that if someone had realised at the time they would have given us the extra ten minutes.

“We only knew when we were outside the exam hall and talking about the answers, so they can’t then bring us back into the hall and do the questions we missed.

“The school have really done everything they can.”