SCIENCE students at Highcliffe School, like others all over the country, have been putting a lot of effort into GCSE course work.

The trouble is, they were doing the wrong work.

Through no fault of their own, they have been carrying out tasks that were supposed to be set in 2014. Their school has contacted the exam board and been told there is no option but to set the correct work.

The rest of us can only imagine how maddening this is for the students concerned as their final term of GCSE studies looms. And the school’s comment that the work will “still contribute to their knowldge and understanding of the subject areas” will be scant consolation.

They have learned a bitter lesson in how unfair life can be. Now they will have to learn an even harder lesson – that sometimes you have to put injustices behind you and carry on to achieve your best anyway.