Dozens of high school students in northeastern Australia were excused from sitting their ancient history exam after teachers discovered they had studied the wrong Roman ruler — Augustus Caesar instead of Julius Caesar.

The confusion affected students at nine high schools in Queensland, where teachers realized only days before the statewide exam that they had been following the wrong curriculum.

Queensland Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said the situation had been “extremely traumatic” for the students and ordered an investigation into how the mix-up occurred.

“I’m very unhappy about the situation,” Langbroek told reporters, assuring that the 140 senior students involved would not be disadvantaged. “They will be given credit for the work already completed and won’t have to sit for the exam.”

The ancient history test, which counts for 25% of the students’ final marks, was canceled for those affected. Their grades will instead be based on their internal assessments, which account for the remaining 75%.

Parents expressed frustration, saying the last-minute panic over the mistake had disrupted students’ preparation for other exams scheduled the same week.

According to the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA), schools were notified two years ago that the exam topic would shift from Augustus to Julius Caesar beginning in 2025. The Augustus module had been used for the past four years.

Langbroek said his department will review communication processes to ensure such an oversight does not happen again.

Source: AP