From The Times:
One pupil who wrote “f*** off” was given marks for accurate spelling and conveying a meaning successfully. His paper was marked by Peter Buckroyd, a chief examiner who has instructed fellow examiners to mark in the same way. He told trainee examiners recently to adhere strictly to the mark scheme, to the extent that pupils who wrote only expletives on their papers should be awarded points. Mr Buckroyd, chief examiner of English for the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA), an examination board, said that he had given the pupil two marks, out of a possible 27, for the expletive.
Well, I've got two words for people like Buckroyd ...
Monday, 30 June 2008
"Markers award students for writing obscenities on GCSE papers"
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2 comments:
Two out of 27 is hardly over the top.I once had the fatuous job of marking a discussion in an English Language oral assessment. One candidate maintained a look of withering contempt then uttered the words "This discussion is utter crap" which I agreed with thoroughly.The published criteria lent support for his getting good marks ,but the other assessors failed him, I presumed for being too honest to go along with the charade.
I also did some examining work with Buckroyd who is alright: very world-weary,cynical,appreciative of the rich inanity of organising students'free expression.
Later I had to work with a right-on trendy examiner whom I could not stand, so much I pleaded with Buckroyd,then in charge, to be re-assigned. This guy was called Chris Woodhead who became the scourge of trendies and H.M. Chief Inspector of Schools (though not without controversy: allegations of screwing a pupil that kind of thing).
I must say, from what I've read about Chris Woodhead (including what he writes about himself!) he is a total self-serving waste of space. Thanks for confirming that.
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