A batch of NCTJ shorthand exam papers could be destroyed by the Royal Mail after going missing in the post.

Around 15 students sat NCTJ shorthand exams at Cornwall College on February 2, but now fear they may have to retake them after the papers failed to arrive at the NCTJ's Saffron Walden offices for marking.

Students have been told by Cornwall College that the papers have been lost in the post despite being sent by recorded delivery.

Royal Mail told HoldtheFrontPage that it had been contacted by the college about the lost papers.

But a spokesman said an investigation had shown that they had been sent to the NCTJ's old offices in Harlow rather than its base in Newport, Essex, to which it moved last summer.

He said there had been no forwarding address or return address, and in such cases mail would usually be sent to the Royal Mail's return letter centre in Belfast where a team works to try to get letters returned to sender.

However its policy for franked mail - which the papers were - was to destroy them.

He said: "The letter was delivered normally, but the address on the envelope was out-of-date.

"In normal circumstances, we would return the letter to the sender, however there was no return address on the envelope so we were unable to do this.

"In these circumstances the letter would either be sent to our centre in Belfast for non-addressed mail or, under guidelines for franked mail, would be destroyed as we would be unable to trace either the sender or recipient with the information provided."

Newquay Voice reporter Katri Iivonen is among those to have sat shorthand exams on February 2.

She said: "I am quite upset about this and can only imagine how the others may feel.

"I had some private lessons which cost quite a lot of money to get me up to standard.

"I have a feeling I did pass but if I have to re-take the there is no guarantee that I will.

"It is such a shame."

Cornwall College journalism tutor Mark Benattar said he did not wish to comment until the matter had been resolved.

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