The appearance of the head of Eton before the Commons` education select committee, "to be questioned about exam malpractice at the school", is to be welcomed (Head of Eton grilled by MPs over exam malpractice, 25/11/2107). Hopefully, questions will also cover some wider issues. Why, for instance, do so many "elite independent schools" favour Pre-U examinations in the first place? It appears these examinations were "created in response to demands from private schools", because, presumably, they were not happy with the A-levels which the vast majority of 6th form students in the country take. Why? On the Pre-U website, Winchester College recommends these examinations, as they "are very liberating for teachers". In what ways? Are the courses and assessment procedures so different? Are the fees for these examinations higher than for "bog-standard" A-levels, and therefore out of the reach of most fund-starved state schools?
It is clearly wrong for people currently teaching an examination course to set questions; it not only leaves doors open to the malpractice revealed this year, it gives massive advantages to the pupils taught by the teachers who set the questions. Furthermore, the "little oversight" Ofqual clearly has over these examinations begs the question about whether alternative examinations to A-levels should exist at all. It is not as though pupils educated privately have not been given enough advantage over the average A-level student!
A lot of questions need answering before faith in the integrity of the examination system can be restored.
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