Majority of the A-level students refer to their teachers’ notes
since teachers provide them ample explanation of questions. All
possible answers that are a part of mark scheme are told to
students so students don’t need to refer to mark schemes published
by CIE. Sometimes teachers discourage the use
of mark schemes.
I call Examiners’ reports as “an extension of mark schemes”.
An examiner’s report will not only tell you about how students
performed but it also inform you about the use of particular
answers explaining which answers are wrong and which are accepted
by CIE. It means that teachers will be aware
of all the possible answers.
I always give a copy of both mark scheme and examiners’ reports
to my students. But I want them to read in my presence so that they
may get a complete sense of what should be implied from a given
explanation.
For example in June 2007 paper 4, with the help of absorption
spectra the question was asked:
devise a suitable experimental technique for studying the rate
of reaction using the [Zn2+].
Now marking scheme provided with the possible answers such as
colorimetry, conductivity method, spectrophotometric method and
then gave a step-by-step points of the process.
Examiner’s report, on the other hand, revealed that why other
method such as titration would not work.
Therefore, I don’t think that examiners’ report should be
treated as a tool to help students identify their loop holes rather
than restricted it to just teachers. Now it is other matter that
examiners’ reports in Singapore contain some other material that
must not be shown to students and public at large.