140 High Schoolers Got Out of a Statewide History Exam After Schools Taught Them About the Wrong Caesar

Nearly 150 high school students were excused from a statewide exam after they were taught about the wrong Caesar in history class.

Teachers in at least eight schools in Queensland, Australia, had been teaching year 12 students about Augustus Caesar, the heir to Julius Caesar, for the test, which was scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 29, per the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC). 

The major exam had focused on Augustus for the past four years, but teachers didn’t realize the topic had changed — even though schools were notified about the upcoming switch in 2023 and the information was available publicly online, per the outlet.

The exam was worth 25% of the overall course grade for students, and the schools realized their error a mere two days before the scheduled exam date. Brisbane State High School was the first school to recognize that the mistake had occurred, per ABC.

While the Ministry of Education initially said that the student’s grades would be scaled to adjust for the oversight, they ultimately excused the 140 affected students from the exam altogether.

“I’m very unhappy about the situation,” Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said in a statement to reporters, per the Associated Press. He also described the situation as “extremely traumatic” for the students — many of whom were frantically cramming for Wednesday’s test before they learned they would no longer be required to take it.

Langbroek also said that he has opened an investigation into the matter to ensure similar mistakes do not happen in the future, per The Guardian.

“I have directed the director general of the Department of Education to urgently investigate how the QCAA [Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority] communicates with schools to implement syllabus changes,” he said.