There is a European (including. the UK) wide disease that demands so much from the candidate. The UK/EASA invigilation system is so complacent whilst sneering at the FAA. The example given above by Alex is unforgivable but comes as no surprise. The first year of the EASA commercial exams was a complete disaster and if memory serves me right all those who failed their exam/s that year were given a credit for the fees they had paid and also the sittings. An example of a question around that time was something like: "you have experienced a partial defragmentation of the port side cell. How will this affect the glide?" Just as way off the mark as the above. A student came to me with this feedback question in a complete state of confusion. It took us some time to unravel with certainty that a failure of the port engine was what was intended to describe. Whether the engine was with partial power or had suffered a complete loss was not clear but obviously irrelevant to the glide. He was latter able to contact his tutor face to face, who with a shrug said, and with a smile, the box to enter his cross should the question arise must be C. The question/ answer bore little to give further time to. As you point out Alex it is so sad that the same kind of issues remain all these years latter. How often today are you found shrugging your shoulders and with a similar smile of c'est la vie?
I sincerely hope that the new online question bank (if that is what it is) for PPLs isn't so obtuse to need. I don't see how instructors or examiners will know, legitimately, much of the online exam questions other than by developing the feedback. The PPL exams must be on a need to know and reflect only the absolute necessity. We will have to wait and see.