21st May 2012 12:55
By Blue Tutors
Exams easier now than 10 years ago.
A report on the BBC Education website yesterday (01/05/2012) states that a review of Biology, Chemistry and Geography examination papers has shown a decline in standards required;
‘Ofqual says standards have slipped, with pupils often facing more multiple-choice or short-structured questions, with less scientific content.’
Findings showed the removal of 4000 word coursework from the Geography examination in 2010, towards shorter more multiple choice papers did not allow the better candidates to showcase their knowledge and led to an inability to properly discriminate between candidates’ abilities. It also revealed a shift away from physical geography towards human geography and that this meant that fewer subjects were covered.
The A-level biology review criticised the Welsh exam board, WJEC, for having a high percentage of short-structured questions, which reduced the amount of information pupils had to read and take in.
This made the papers "less demanding", although overall they were deemed to be sufficiently so for the level of qualification.
The CCEA exam board was over-generous in its marking of some questions and had less demanding course work, Ofqual said.
The A-level chemistry review found the exams had become easier between 2003 and 2008, as the questions were structured differently.
Given that a few weeks ago I was writing on a report that claimed Universities were appalled at the standard of subject knowledge in first year students it seems that an overhaul of standards and content in A levels is required after all. While I’m all for students being rewarded for their achievement we have got to ensure that the standard warrants reward. We don’t want a system like America where students regularly achieve impossible marks of over 100% in order to differentiate them from those who are merely able to achieve 100%! It makes a mockery of the entire system if exams become too easy, affecting not only the years before when exams were more difficult but also those afterwards when the droop in standards was readdressed. How are employers and Universities to differentiate between candidates if one years’ exams are not consistent with the next, or the previous?