No Re-marking Of S.C. Papers

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31857, 9 December 1968, Page 9

No Re-marking Of S.C. Papers

! Scaling of school certificate | examination marks would conI tinue with the introduction this year of single subject passes, but at no time was a subject re-marked, Mr R. U. Roy, senior inspector of secondary schools, said in reply to a correspondent to “The Press” who wanted to know if it were true that papers were re-marked. The correspondent, “Perturbed,” wrote: — “1 was greatly perjturbed recently to hear it I said that in the School Certificate examinations held this last week only a certain number of the candidates may pass. If, after the marking of the papers, it is found that the number allowed to pass has been exceeded, then the papers are re-marked in order that the limit set is not exceeded. Can you comment on the truth of this statement?” “For any examination which assesses a complete cross-section of the population it can be assumed that there is little variation in the over-ell ability of students or standard of teaching from year to year; hence it is reasonable to expect approxi‘mately the same fraction to

: pass the examination each ■ year,” said Mr Roy. i “This asumption has been t particularly important in the i past where an aggregate mark . over four subjects was re- ■ quired and where subjects in- < volving quite different apt!- ■ tudes and skills were me*nsured against each other. s “For each subject there has been an accepted median -! mark and distribution pat- . tern and if the raw examin*- ■ tion marks have differed subi I stantially’ from this they have been scaled to bring thetni 1 into closer agreement. i “Such an arrangement has, i allowed adjustments to be • made to meet the varying! 1 standards demanded by dif-l > ferent subject examiners and i i to minimise the effect of i! change of examiner within a : subject. At no time has a| : subject been re-marked. “With the introduction this year of single subject passes i the need to keep parity bei tween subjects is no longer so important, but there is a : need to maintain similar i standards within a subject ■ from year to year. It can be i assumed that scaling will con- • tinue, if necessary, to main- - tain these standards,” said i Mr Roy.■