MATRICULATION EXAMINATION

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23001, 22 April 1940, Page 5

MATRICULATION EXAMINATION

TO I'HV EDITOR OF THE PBEBB. Sir,—Will you kindly allow me to ask the authorities concerned the system in vogue of marking, so-called matriculation papers—or to be correct, university v. ;trance examination papers. I am sure that the majority of the general public are in Egyptian darkness in this matter. I have passed the said "open sesame," but my youthful mind had no suspicions that anything amiss could happen in the marking of such papers: However, the letters in your columns of recent issues have raised sufficient questions, and also suspicions in the minds of many of your readers, I guess, as they have in mine, that I think it would restore confidence in the public mind if the university authorities vfauld tell us through your columns the system adopted in markm-* the papers in question. This morning I was amazed to read the revelation of "Plain Jane" about how • some 900 matriculation papers were farmed out by a retired school mistress, whose responsibility it was to mark them, to her students, as she was in a hurry for a holiday. Such statements e- this surely are not irresponsible statements. If incorrect, they must be denied by the authorities concerned and confidence restored by informing the public of the marking system and to whom the responsibility of marking is given. It is of urgent importance to parents, teachers, ana guardians, who are concerned for their children and students, that all public examination papers should be treated with every care and the respect which April 19, 1940. TO THB EDITOB OF TH2 PBZSS. Sir _The extraordinary disclosures made regarding the assessment of the matriculation arithmetic papers, and the perfunctory method adopted by the examiner referred to by your correspondent "Plain Jane" in your issue of April 18, remind me forcibly of something I saw many years ago regarding the superficial manner in which the values of certain papers were-arrived at by one adjudicator in a particular subject in a departmental competitive examination. I had occasion to go to his home by appointment. On my arrival, he was busily engaged in "going through" some five or six sets of papers. He glanced casually over the pages, announced 'his estimate of marks, which a young lady (who was sitting near and reading a newspaper) entered on a list before her on a table. The percentages in the other cases were estimated m the same perfunctory manner and duly noted as before. This man was also busy with other examinations at the time, and he explained to me that he •haoMo work into all hours of the night to overtake the heavy work entailed by the two sets of examinations, which necessarily were subject to time limits. The superficial nature of the so-called '.'marking'' in the instance I refer to Struck me as being far from satisfactory, and I have often wondered since then, if any such haphazard system is followed by other examiners. Let us hope hot. —Yours, etc., ■ PLAIN CITIZEN. April.l 9, 1940. TO TOT BBITOB OT THE PBESB. Sir,'—Several letters have recently appeared in "The Press" regarding the marking of the arithmetic paper of the matriculation examination held in December last. Judging by the . greatly increased marks allotted to many candidates who -have had that particular subject remarked it would appear that the persons responsible for marking the arithmetic paper were incompetent, and should .ot have been entrusted with such important work. I wrote .to the authorities recently 'asking for a. remarking of my son's paper, and was informed that "as the average mark" in the subject of mathematics was not raised in my. son's case as a result of the revision of his arithmetic paper, thereby not altering his position regarding a pars in the examination as a whole, he is not eligible to apply for reconsideration at this date in any subjects in which he sat. I am unaware that a revision has taken place, and I contend that I am entitled to have any of the paper remarked at any time, providing the

fee of £1 Is is paid for each subjec dealt with. ■ . , . , In view of the information whicl has come to light in the newspaper! concerning the marking of the matri culation papers, I consider that th« whole position should be placed be fore the Minister for Education, and if necessary, all the students who failec in the examination should be per : mitted to have their papers remarket free of charge.—Yours, etc.,MATRICULATION, 1939. ApriV2o, 1940. ■ . ■