Here's a puzzle for you

[mudskipper]

There is a candidate ID as part of the barcode, but again it doesn't really matter.

Thanks for a sensible answer though.

Numbering the papers differently would require a system change which is out of scope.

So each candidate gets an individually printed paper?

Simple - the ones that you haven't handed out are the absent students.

[suityou01]

OK so you give up yet?

[tractor]

...

this is actually a brilliant insight into the minds of different IT functions

developer - 'how are we to do the mapping, this is crucial'
PM - 'WTF does it matter ? we might use pixie dust'

Or

Developer: we can't trust the teachers to do the simplest of things

Education Authority: WGAS

[EternalOptimist]

in one hand you have a set of barcodes that have not been scanned, maybe a report.

in the other hand you have the physical papers that were not filled in

the difference is the unscanned but completed papers

[suityou01]

So each candidate gets an individually printed paper?

Simple - the ones that you haven't handed out are the absent students.

OK so the centre says scanning complete. You run EOs query and you identify which candidate entries don't have scans associated. Did they not attend or did the scan go missing? Candidate attendance information is coming, but can't guarantee when. We need to know now.

[Bunk]

Are we supposed to believe that the right exam papers with unique barcodes have ended up in the hands of the right students? Sounds a bit of a stretch given that the schools can't even be trusted to collect the exam papers properly.

[suityou01]

in one hand you have a set of barcodes that have not been scanned, maybe a report.

in the other hand you have the physical papers that were not filled in

the difference is the unscanned but completed papers

You run the report. Which missing entries are due to missing papers, and which due to non attendance?

Remember, a simple change of how they do things, not a system change.

[suityou01]

Are we supposed to believe that the right exam papers with unique barcodes have ended up in the hands of the right students? Sounds a bit of a stretch given that the schools can't even be trusted to collect the exam papers properly.

That is a valid assumption for this, yes. Well reasoned.

[EternalOptimist]

did you know, this is the Chinese year of the Horse

[Bunk]

OK so the centre says scanning complete. You run EOs query and you identify which candidate entries don't have scans associated. Did they not attend or did the scan go missing? Candidate attendance information is coming, but can't guarantee when. We need to know now.

So either way they haven't been scanned. You want to know the reason for not being scanned but obviously that isn't going to be in the db until the attendance data arrives. So it has to come from somewhere else which means a change of process, which you say can't happen.

This should be good.