Exam Boards Research Articles

555 timers: who needs them?

The NE555 timer first appeared in 1971. Although it is now well over 30 years old, many exam boards still include it in their specifications. This seems rather odd in a fast developing subject such as electronics. With an ever expanding range of new technology and devices to learn about, perhaps it is now time to relegate the 555 to the museum along with germanium transistors, valves and transistor multivibrators.

The times they are (very slowly) a-changin'

My article set out a radical view of how I believe tests for students of EIL should change both immediately and in the longer term. Exam boards, as Lynda Taylor acknowledges, are by nature conservative, so it was welcome to see in her response signs that testers are beginning to change their attitude towards English language norms. Nevertheless, she also reveals a number of misinterpretations of my position. In the short space allowed, I will comment on the two most critical.

Muslim women in higher education: new sites of lifelong learning

How does a traditional research-led university embrace the implications of lifelong learning and widening participation? If it lowers its entry requirements or offers a more flexible approach to adult learning, can it continue to strive for and attain academic excellence? Using a project designed to increase participation by an under-represented group, this paper explores the institutional issues involved in developing lifelong learning strategies in partnership with local colleges and community organizations. Lifelong learning is not cheap to deliver, as non-traditional students may need additional learning support. Off-campus delivery can decimate an orderly campus-based timetable, extra exam boards had to be set up; extra books and learning resources have to be duplicated across different sites. However, the institutional benefits include greater flexibility in university procedures, and a source of enthusiastic mature learners from an under-represented group.

A plea to the exam boards—dump the BC108!

A plea to the exam boards—dump the BC108!

Teachers’ Subject Philosophies Related to their Assessment Practices

This paper explores the relationship between the subject philosophy of English teachers and their assessment practices. The research is contextualised within the wider debate about the validity and reliability of course work-based assessment in English. It examines the history of that debate and then looks at ways in which practitioners and exam boards have sought to grapple with the issue of reliability and validity within English assessment. The research contributes to the debate by suggesting, through a small-scale indicative study, that English teachers are not influenced by their subject philosophies when assessing pupils’ course work but by their understanding or ‘construct’ of grade boundaries.

REVIEWS

The text of the article is available in the PDF.

REVIEWS

The text of the article is available in the PDF.

A Comparison of Examination Boards: A Levels

The relative severity of grades awarded by five Exam Boards were compared in 11 subjects at A level using data from the A Level Information System (ALIS) project for 1989. Ordinary least squares regression analysis was used in the first instance to control for prior achievement, gender and ability test scores. Multilevel software was then used to pursue cases where there were apparent differences. There were few instances where discrepancies between Boards were statistically significant having controlled for prior achievement and gender and having employed the appropriate statistical modelling. Further investigation of the ALIS data from 1988 failed to identify consistently severe or lenient Exam Boards over the 2 years except for one Board in one subject.