An exam-room blunder that allowed candidates to read guidance notes meant for assessors' eyes only has led immigration practitioners to describe the Legal services Commission (LSC) accreditation scheme as a 'farce' this week.

The assessors' guidance, which provides advice to examiners on how the paper should be marked, was accidentally included among the question papers by training company CLT - which administers the exams - at a level one immigration accreditation exam last week.


The error was discovered half an hour into the exam and the extra papers were collected at centres across the country. The guidance provided advice to assessors on what they should be looking for in terms of content, accuracy, consistency and professional standards.


Shahul Hassan, partner at Corbin & Hassan in London, which had two fee-earners sitting the exam, said: 'The guidance clearly indicated what was expected of a candidate, showing what they should be awarding marks for. It gives an unfair advantage compared to those who sat the exam previously or will sit it later.'


CLT director Paul Whitehouse said: 'The guidance was mostly general in nature, and it was removed 30-35 minutes after the exam started. To get any benefit you would have to have the guidance right to the end of the exam and look at it against each question. There was no time for people to have any benefit.'


He added: 'We do not take these decisions lightly and we have decided that there is no need for a re-sit.'


Ben Hoare, immigration partner at Ben Hoare Bell in Sunderland, who has threatened to issue judicial review proceedings against the LSC challenging the scheme, said: 'This just sums up the whole of this accreditation process - it is a farce.'


A Law Society spokeswoman said: 'The Society has spoken to CLT and is satisfied that appropriate and swift action was taken.'


Law Society chief executive Janet Paraskeva said last week the scheme is intended to ensure clients receive quality advice.