PUPILS face weeks more uncertainty after the government's exams watchdog admitted exam results for 14-year-olds - which several York schools have questioned - could be unsafe.

The warning comes after the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority admitted that a vital check to make sure the SATS results for 14-year-olds in English were correct was ignored on some papers to try to hit a deadline.

The admission relates to the same results over which head teachers in York raised major doubts, before warning that they were considering returning large numbers of papers for re-marking.

Problems arose when a new system of marking was introduced for the papers which was more time-consuming and resulted in some papers being sent back to schools without being double-checked by a second marker.

The QCA said these unchecked papers will be reviewed over the summer, and pupils who have been affected will receive a revised mark.

The exam appeal deadline has also been extended to the end of the summer.

Councillor Carol Runciman, City of York Council executive member for education, backed the schools' right to appeal for their pupils, and has slammed the decision to skip the vital checks.

She said: "I am very concerned about this situation. I am pleased to hear that the deadline for re-marking has been extended to the end of the summer when it is normally the middle of July.

"Re-marking is a matter for individual schools rather than the local authority, but if they feel they need a re-mark that's what they must ask for, to do the best for the child.

"I regret that the second checks weren't made because this may be a big annual exercise to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, but for a child, and for that child's parents, it's a very, very important result and one we must do our best to get right."

Updated: 10:52 Wednesday, July 28, 2004