Hi all.
I have been observing bits and pieces and nuggets of speculations
here about how grades are assigned in national examinations
(example: O and A levels).
Some 'theories' proposed include:
Now, now... I find that these speculations arise from the fact that
the whole process of marking and grading is not made transparent
enough. That is to say, from the moment scripts are collected; it
is anyone's guess.
To illustrate, quoted from SgForums:
We can infer that the post is made by a teacher or tutor. Wait a
moment.. did I see that right? 86% is an A2?
Now... if I remember correctly in my bygone O level days, we have
ALWAYS been told that 75% is perfectly well worth an A1. Whatever
happens to the prescribed mark boundaries? Again, it is anyone's
guess; such information has never been disclosed to students. Ergo,
speculations are rife.
Anyone with or without experience in pedagogy will notice two (or
maybe more) rather disturbing trends that ensue.
Firstly, speculations give rise to alarmist tendencies. That is,
students are drilled even harder to ensure that they score high
enough to secure that A1, and bring good reputation to the
school.
Secondly, herd mentality entails. More and more people seem to jump
on the panic bandwagon. This might be a factor that explains the
stress level in junior colleges.
In Singapore, the examinations we take (e.g. A Levels) are titled
'Singapore-Cambridge'. I remember reading a press release a few
years back, which essentially introduced the abovementioned title
on our national examinations. If I recall correctly, UCLES is in
charge of setting the questions and marking the scripts.
Conversely, MOE/SEAB is in charge of designing syllabuses and
awarding grades. That's the rough distinction of workload I
gathered.
This move is applauded as it meant that we have a greater say in
our national examinations. This explained why we have unique
subjects like Social Studies (to complement NE, as far as I know),
and essay questions that pertain to Singapore in General
Paper.
However, the opaque veil still persisted. For instance, although
appealing of grades is allowed, the marked papers cannot be
returned. This is a far cry from practices administered by other
examination boards. Quoted from QCA (An exam board in UK that also
examines A level):
Of course, the reason might be that we want to prevent parents from
whining. [This seems to be a perennial occurrence after the PSLE
Mathematics papers]
Yet, there are those who believe that it is in the benefit of
students to have access to their marked papers, so that they can
learn from their mistakes, especially for the N Level
examinations.
Students are stakeholders in these examinations. Students paid to
sit for these examinations. Therefore, it is only reasonable that
students have better awareness of what they are in for, and know
exactly how their grades came into being.
Well, what do you think?
DISCLAIMER: Suggested methods and practices mentioned above and
therein reflect neither current practices nor opinions of examining
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