GCSE Astronomy paper error, 2017

There was an error in this years GCSE exam paper, the below is Edexcels statement on it.

Dear Colleague
I am writing to let you know about an error on the GCSE Astronomy 5AS01/01 paper sat on the morning of Wednesday 7 June 2017.
Our senior examining team, including the Chair of Examiners and Principal Examiner, have undertaken a review of the paper and have confirmed that the reference to part (c) in question 13 should have been ‘24.6 hours‘ rather than ‘24.7 days‘, as it was presented. The question is worth 4 marks.
We believe this error may have caused unintentional difficulty to some candidates. We deeply regret this and I would like to apologise that this was not identified before candidates sat the examination.
We take the quality of all our examination papers very seriously. In this regard, I wish to assure you that we have a rigorous processes in place to ensure that our examination papers are accurate and fair, and issues like this are rare. We know that this is unacceptable and are working to ensure that no further issues arise in any of our papers in future.
To ensure fairness to all candidates, who sat this paper, we will also do the following:

  • Our examining team have been briefed to be aware of the issue and to escalate queries to the senior examiners where they have any cause for concern in the light of the responses they see when marking this paper;
  • When the marking of the paper is complete and we understand how candidates have performed, we will analyse the performance to ensure that no one is disadvantaged;
  • Our senior examiners will consider the issue during the award of the qualification to ensure that the boundaries set reflect the ability of candidates.

If we find any evidence that shows that any candidate’s performance has been adversely affected, due to the unintentional difficulty as a result of the error, we will ensure that the appropriate special consideration rules are applied to award a mark that reflects their ability.
I will write to you again before the publication of results about the outcome of our review and analysis of the performance of candidates at your centre who sat this paper.
Once again, please accept our sincere apologies for the error and for any difficulty this may have caused your candidates.