Kaplan and SRA apologise after SQE1 results error

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Kaplan and the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) have issued an apology after an error by Kaplan meant that 175 students were incorrectly told that they’d failed parts of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) assessments.

The error, which became apparent as students began appealing their original scores, relates to the results for the January 2024 SQE1 assessments. The results have now been “reissued” and the 175 candidates, who were originally told they’d failed either Functioning Legal Knowledge 1 and/or Functioning Legal Knowledge 2 (the two elements of SQE1), have now received the correct results.

In a press release, the SRA said: “The way the results were presented was new for January’s SQE1 – rather than results being shown as a percentage mark, candidates were given a standardised score out of 500. The mistake was made when implementing this change. It was unique to the January 2024 results – no previous SQE assessments are affected. It was discovered by Kaplan through general checks conducted during the appeals period.”

The error also doesn’t impact the overall pass/fail outcome for the other 6,451 candidates who sat the January 2024 SQE1 assessment. However, some candidates may have seen a change in their scores and/or a change in the quintile to which they’ve been allocated, according to the SRA. The results were reissued to all 6,626 candidates who took the January assessment.

This news comes after some students had their training contract offers retracted by law firms following the January SQE1 results. 

Zoe Robinson, managing director of Kaplan SQE, said: “A goodwill payment of £250 is being offered to those candidates who were incorrectly told they had failed an assessment in recognition of the upset caused by this matter.”

Speaking to Legal Cheek, Robinson also said that Kaplan is currently unaware of any candidates having had their training contract offers rescinded as a result of this error.

Expressing his disappointment in the error, Paul Philip, the SRA’s chief executive said: “Our immediate priority has been making sure the error has been put right as swiftly as possible, and the impact on candidates is recognised and addressed."

The full results from January’s SQE1 sitting are due to be published this month.