Education authorities have suspended several people after students taking the national postgraduate entrance examination at two universities in eastern China’s Shandong province were given a test paper containing the answers.

Graduates at Shandong Normal University and Qingdao University of Technology complained online after receiving the paper intended for markers.

On Sunday, the province’s Education Department said the incident had caused “serious consequences” and that the people responsible had been suspended.

The universities have been ordered to arrange for students to retake the exam.

Shandong Normal University has said it will cover the costs of accommodation and meals for those students who need to retake the test.

The college said it was “deeply sorry” for the trouble caused by the mistake and pledged to hold the people responsible to account.

A total of 2.9 million Chinese took the national postgraduate entrance exam from Saturday to Monday, 520,000 more than last year, according to the Ministry of Education.