Exam Shack

A Level Students Applauded For Their Results

laurence.cawley@gmail.com — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:34:00 GMT

A LEVEL students who today received their results have been congratulated for their hard work.

This year's results saw a big rise in the number of candidates sitting maths, further maths and physics and the continued popularity of English, history and geography.

Dr Mike Creswell, director general of the exam board AQA, said: "Congratulations, on behalf of everyone at AQA, to each and every one of our hard working students receiving their results.

"We understand how busy the exam season is for everyone involved – from the teachers and parents supporting the students, to the examiners marking the papers. This collective effort deserves congratulations all round on results days, but none deserve it more than the students themselves."

Dr Jim Sinclair, Director, Joint Council for Qualifications, commenting on the publication of the GCE results, said: “These are excellent results. They are the outcome of the hard work of students and teachers, who deserve to be congratulated.
“It is particularly good to report improved uptake and outcomes for mathematics and science.”

Greg Watson, exam board OCR's chief executive, said: "Exams time at this time of year is always a challenging period for everyone involved - students, teachers, examiners and exam boards alike! We sincerely hope that outcomes of all the effort and hard work put in by students will hold them in good stead for the future, whatever path they choose."

Schools minister Iain Wright said: “These are excellent results and reflect the hard work of both students and their teachers and the support of parents.
“Critics who belittle better results and infer that the only way to measure a successful education system is by young people failing A levels are insulting the hard work of students and teachers and the great support that parents give their children during these difficult qualifications."

“These results yet again explode the myth that so-called ‘traditional’ subjects are in decline – the biggest increases are in Maths, Further Maths and Economics with entries also up in English, Physics, History, Chemistry and Geography.

"Taken together these subjects saw a rise of more than 16,500 entries – a figure that is 87 per cent of the overall rise of over 19,000."

Today’s results show:

• an overall 2.3 per cent increase in individual entries at A level (846,977 up from 827,737 last year) – meaning there has been a 20.8% rise in A level entries since 2002. There was a 4.4% rise in AS level entries this year (1,177,347 up from 1,128,150);
• overall pass rates at both A level and AS level have remained broadly steady, with 97.5 per cent obtaining grades A-E at A level this year (97.2 per cent in 2008) and 88.1 per cent obtaining grades A-E at AS level (88.2 per cent in 2008);
• a rise in the proportion of A grades at A level from 25.9 per cent to 26.7 per cent this year with the proportion getting A-grades at AS level rising from 18.7 per cent to 19.5 per cent;
• a big 12.2 per cent rise in numbers taking mathematics A levels – up to 72,475 from 64,593 last year. It means there has been a 20.6% rise since 2007. Further maths was also up 15.2 per cent to 10,473 entries from 9,091 last year
• Maths and Further Maths saw the highest proportion of A-grade candidates
• Physics A level saw an above average 4.8% rise to 29,436 entries from 28,096 last year and chemistry A level saw a 2 per cent rise from 42,491 from 41,680;
• English remains the most popular A level – with 91,815 entries or 10.8 per cent of all candidates. It was followed by mathematics (8.6 per cent of candidates) and biology (6.6 per cent);
• the biggest overall year-on-year increases in A level entrants were in further mathematics (15.2 per cent); economics (13.2 per cent); mathematics (12.2 per cent);

Heed these words: Avoid Pretension and Relying on your Teacher

laurence.cawley@gmail.com — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:13:00 GMT

Here's the scene:

A highly experienced English A level examiner is going through a batch of scripts from one school deemed outstanding by the powers that be.
Each essay is written in the preposterous language of the pseudo-intellectual and all carry identical the same hallmarks of teacher-inspired you-must-mention "insights".

Now it is possible that a weak examiner lacking in confidence might let this pompously-written garbage through and give it an "A", because it is written in such a way that someone not paying any attention might believe some deeply inspired thinking has taken place in the examination hall.

But not for our highly experienced A level examiner. He sees it for what is: utter nonsense. Worse than that though. It is utter nonsense purporting to be clever.

So what has happened here? It was clear to our examiner that the students' A level students had instructed them to remember a certain number of great facts about the author and about the text. It was clearly stressed to each and every one of these hapless students that they must squeeze these incredible facts into their scripts at any cost and regardless of the question set. They have also been taught to use the most pretentious language possible - not only at the cost of a simpler word, but also at the cost of the correct word.

What can we learn?

1. Scripts are marked in batches from the same school. This means if everybody regurgitates the same stuff from the teacher it'll show - and infuriate the examiner as he wades through the same points over and over again. This irritation is amplified when the teacher's key points have no bearing on the question set. All it shows is the candidate is unable to have their own thoughts or apply their "knowledge" in a meaningful and focused way.

2. Avoid preposterous language. The best words to use are the simplest ones possible that convey exactly what you want them to. The very best students out there use often deceptively simple language with precision.

3. By all means listen to your teachers. But please remember the examiner is far more interested in what you think about the question set. Your teachers - even if they did get A grades when they sat exams a few moons ago (and many did not) - are not in the exam hall doing the exam. Your fresh response to a question will almost always be better than a half-arsed attempt at remembering what Mrs Jones said about whatever it was some time ago.

4. Read the question, read it again. When you've fully understood what is being asked of you, read it again. Your answers have to be nailed to the question set to get the top grades.

5. Know your subject. This sounds like common sense, but the only way you can have your own ideas about your subject is by studying it for yourself. When you then find yourself sat in an exam hall, you'll have your own response.

I was once told about a director of English studies at a Cambridge college who was asked what she looked for in a candidate. Her reply was simple: "Somebody who loves to, and can, read and somebody who loves to, and can, write." Would she always give a place to somebody who matched that description? The answer was 'yes'.

Free Online Revision Planner Launched

laurence.cawley@gmail.com — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:21:00 GMT

A new online revision planner - customisable to meet each student's needs - has been launched.

The brainchild of Elaine Gordan, My Revision Plan, emerged as she tried to help her own son plan his studies for GCSEs.

More than 100 schools and 2,000 students have taken part in trials for the site and the end product is a website designed with both teachers and students in mind.

Mike Sherratt, who is involved in the project, said: "We are getting large numbers of students using the site in the run up to GCSE, AS, A levels as well as other exams, but there are still a huge number of schools and students that are not using it to help them in their attempts to pass exams.

"We strongly feel that this facility can benefit every student, especially as it is completely free for them to use."

It is free of charge and there's an online tutorial to take users through the process of drawing up a personal revision plan.

Science GCSEs a "cause for concern"

laurence.cawley@gmail.com — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:20:00 GMT

The head of the organisation set up to monitor exams says standards in the new GCSE science exams "raised significant causes for concern".

Ofqual has demanded immediate action by chief examiners to address its concerns following its review of GCSE specifications.

Exam boards will have to improve the quality of questions set for pupils and provide more training for their senior examiners to improve the quality of tests set.

In her letter to schools minister Jim Knight, Kathleen Tattersall, chairman of Ofqual, said some papers did not challenge students enough, adding that comparing like with like grades across the different examining boards was difficult.

Speaking about her report, Ms Tattersall said: "As regulator it is our job to monitor qualifications and report our findings openly and honestly.

"I am reassured by the reports on mathematics and English literature which show that standards have generally been maintained and that the system is generally in good health. However, the science reports are clearly a cause for concern.

'Our monitoring shows that the revisions to the GCSE science criteria in 2005 have led to a fall in the quality of science assessments. Ofqual has taken action to ensure the quality of the 2009 exams is appropriate, the awarding bodies have agreed to implement a range of actions in response to the report and significant progress has already been made on this front.

"GCSE is an important and worthy examination which has successfully stimulated and motivated students of all abilities for over 20 years and it needs to continue to do so, particularly in national curriculum subjects where it is the main means of assessment at the end of key stage 4.

"QCA is reviewing the GCSE science criteria with a view to new specifications being in centres ready for first teaching in 2011. Science is a vitally important subject and it is essential that these new criteria and specifications should engage and challenge all learners, particularly the most able. Lessons learned over the last two years from the implementation of the new science criteria have informed the development of the revised GCSE criteria and specifications that students will be studying in a range of subjects from 2009.

"We shall focus our standards reviews this year on other science subjects at GCSE level, including biology and chemistry, and the outcomes of this work will feed into the development of the new criteria.

"It is absolutely essential that standards remain consistent from year to year and across awarding bodies. As an independent regulator we have identified concerns, reported them publicly and taken action to put matters right to ensure that students, parents and teachers can continue to have confidence in the results that they receive."

QCA is revising the GCSE science criteria and new specifications will be developed for first teaching in 2011. Ofqual has asked that the new criteria take on board the concerns raised in our report and the new specifications will adhere to the current GCSE qualifications criteria, including the limit of one re-sit per unit.

Ofqual will set out its expectations in detail to the awarding bodies to ensure that awarding bodies set grade standards that are at an appropriate level and in line with national standards.

Ofqual is reviewing future question papers for units that were of particular concern to ensure that they are valid and reliable assessments. This review will particularly consider the opportunities provided for more able candidates to show what they know, understand and can do.

Schools Minister Jim Knight said:"I am obviously concerned about the issues highlighted in these Ofqual reports.

"This is a science problem not a GCSE problem - I am reassured by Ofqual’s findings that ‘the system is generally in good health’.

"I note particularly that GCSE and A Level standards over time have been maintained in the core subjects of English literature and mathematics, in the three to five year period covered by Ofqual’s investigations.”

Cambridge: Three A grades at A Level will no longer be enough

laurence.cawley@gmail.com — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 21:14:00 GMT

The University of Cambridge has decided to revise the standard offer level in most subjects for entry in 2010 from AAA to A*AA.

In the forthcoming special edition of the Reporter, the University of Cambridge will report that it was unable to make offers to a record number of students in the last admissions round who gained the standard offer level of AAA at A-level.

It raises the issue again of how difficult it is for admissions tutors to differentiate between the increasing numbers of candidates gaining three As at A-level.

The introduction of the A* grade at A-level has been welcomed by the university as a possible way of addressing this difficulty. Some Colleges have in recent years made use of UMS (uniform mark scheme) data to make offers based on achievement in particular A2 level units or on overall achievement at a UMS score above the threshold for an A grade (480 out of 600).

In view of the desire for both clarity and standardisation of offer levels wherever possible, it has been decided to make use of the opportunity the A* grade presents, and to revise the standard offer level in most subjects from AAA to A*AA for entry in 2010.

The University will continue to make non-standard offers where appropriate. For example, students making applications through the Cambridge Special Access Scheme can expect to have their potential, achievement to date, and other relevant contextual data taken into account when offers are made.

Dr Geoff Parks, Director of Admissions for the Colleges, says

"It's important to recognise that the usual checks and balances will be in place to ensure that all Cambridge applicants will be given careful, detailed consideration and that this decision won't disadvantage students from any one given background over another.

Colleges continue to have the discretion to make non-standard offers where appropriate - and I'd encourage any students with the grounds to do so, to make an application through the Cambridge Special Access Scheme. The scheme allows circumstances that might impair a student's exam performance to be taken into account - including for instance, where an applicant's school or college has limited success in sending students on to Higher Education and where the applicant's family has little or no experience of HE - or indeed, where an applicant's education has been significantly disrupted or disadvantaged by health, schooling or personal problems."

The impact of this change in admissions policy will be kept under close review by the appropriate University bodies, but it is hoped that it will help to identify the most able applicants and allow them to prove themselves in the public examination period at the end of Year 13.

Dramatic rise in university and college applications

laurence.cawley@gmail.com — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:55:00 GMT

The number of students wanting to study economics has soared by more than 15% this year sparking some to question whether the recession might be the cause.

The rise comes amid an overall increase in the number of students applying for university places, up 8% this year, according to UCAS.

As of 15 January, the date by which applicants should apply to be given equal consideration, there were 464,167 people applying for a full-time undergraduate course at UK universities and colleges - 33,678 (7.8%) more than last year.

Among the top 10 course options, finance and economy courses have experienced some of the largest increases in student applications. The number of student applying to read economics is up 15.7% and business studies up 10.9%.

Anthony McClaran, UCAS Chief Executive said: "These figures represent the third year of strong and continuous growth in full-time undergraduate applications.

"There has been considerable speculation about the effect of current economic conditions on applications for higher education but these figures give some assurance that demand remains strong. Education is a long-term investment for the individual and for society as a whole."

Included within the figures was a major increase in mature applicants with the 21-24 age group showing a rise of 12.9% and an increase of 12.6% from applicants over the age of 24."

Law remains the top subject choice with nursing degrees entering the top-five due to an increase of 15.8% or 7,424 applicants.

Nursing Diploma courses saw an increase of 15.1% or 5,389 applicants.

International recruitment continues to rise with an overall increase of 11.2% from all non-UK countries and over 10% increases from The Republic of Ireland, Cyprus, Singapore, France, Greece, Pakistan and India. China remains the largest provider of non-EU applicants with 3,641 - a rise of 7.5%.

This year's top ten most popular subjects were:

Law ( 78,581)
Psychology (73,317)
Pre-clinical Medicine (71,430)
Nursing (54,475)
English studies (53,614)
Management studies (50,643)
Combinations within Business & Admin Studies (47,483)
Teacher Training (45,499)
History (45,057)
Economics (44,750)

Teachers Demand An End To League Tables

laurence.cawley@gmail.com — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:36:00 GMT

League tables do nothing for pupils and students and "undermines" their success, a leading union claimed today.

The criticism of league tables was made both by the National Union of Teachers, the largest teaching union in Europe and NASUWT, the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers. It comes as the Government publishes league tables showing school performance at GCSE.

Christine Blower, NUT acting general secretary, said: "Young people's success at GCSE is undermined by the double whammy of school league tables based both on the arbitrary thresholds of five A-C GCSEs including Maths and English and the arbitrary National Challenge floor target.

"Very many young people and teachers will feel that their efforts have been belittled by these tables.

"It is about time that school league tables and their absurd accompanying targets were dropped by the Government. They do nothing for young people, parents, local communities or indeed for the Government itself."

“It is regrettable that a Government that has made so many improvements in education clings to this unnecessary, divisive and demoralising annual ritual. League tables should be abolished.”

Chris Keates, general secretary of NASUWT, said: “The results are a clear indication of the improving standards of teaching in schools and the hard work and commitment of teachers and pupils alike. They should be given full and unreserved credit for their achievements.

“Publishing league tables is, however, a meaningless exercise. They contribute nothing to standards of education.

“It is regrettable that a Government that has made so many improvements in education clings to this unnecessary, divisive and demoralising annual ritual. League tables should be abolished.”

Children's secretary Ed Balls said the tables helped show trends.

He said: “A generation ago, just 35 per cent of children left school with five good GCSEs including English and maths.

"In 2008, after a decade of record investment in teachers and schools coupled with the hard work of the class of 2008, 78,000 more children left schools with those same qualifications.

“What is most encouraging is that children who have faced the most challenging circumstances over the past decade have not been cast adrift and left at the bottom but have actually seen a more rapid improvement in results than those in the least deprived areas."

What do you think?

Pupils praised for improved GCSE results

laurence.cawley@gmail.com — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:25:00 GMT

Education leaders today praised pupils and their teachers after the number of schools meeting Government targets rose.

The number of schools which did not meet the 30% target for pupils bagging at least five good GCSEs (C to A*) dropped from 638 to 440.

Schools Minister Jim Knight said: “These excellent results confirm what we have known for more than a decade – hard working children and teachers are being rewarded for their endeavour with the results that give them opportunities to move on to the next stage of education or into a high-quality apprenticeship and prepare themselves for the world of work.

“We now have 65 per cent of children achieving five good GCSE passes in any subject and 48 per cent of children getting five good passes including English and maths – a decade ago these figures were sitting at a lowly 45 and 35%, respectively."

Dr John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "The 31% decrease in the number of schools below the government’s floor target is a major achievement by the heads and teachers of these schools."

Interested in a history degree - try Cambridge's new online taster

laurence.cawley@gmail.com — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:00:00 GMT

The history faculty at Cambridge University has launched a new website called 'Take a Journey into History' which offers a range of online classes.

Students can develop their interests and skills by stepping into the virtual classroom to undertake online exercises on a variety of topics using primary sources or secondary literature. Both students and their teachers will also be able to take advantage of the wealth of expertise provided by the site's online lectures.

Project leader Dr Caroline Burt said: "We're enormously excited by our new website. It provides aspiration- and attainment-raising material aimed at very able students who are interested in history, and their teachers and lecturers.

"Through our virtual classroom of online lectures and interactive material we hope to inspire and support students applying for History to this university - and to the many other excellent History departments in the UK."

Professor Richard Evans, author of In Defence of History and recently appointed Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge, said: "This is a unique and pioneering venture and I am delighted that we have been able to create such an imaginative and accessible website for school/ college students and teachers.

"I hope this will encourage budding historians from all backgrounds to take a journey into history by applying to study it at Cambridge."

The website also includes profiles of some of the students currently studying history at Cambridge, the different backgrounds they've come from, and why they made their decision. There are examples of how people have used their history degrees to pursue careers in the fields of journalism, law and teaching.

For those already seriously considering History at degree level there's plenty of practical information alongside the interactive wizardry.

Facts on how to apply to Cambridge, student finance and what studying History at Cambridge will involve are also included and it's hoped that the site will encourage more young people to consider History as a degree choice.

Internet Searching Could Make People Smarter

laurence.cawley@gmail.com — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:51:00 GMT

Searching the internet triggers parts of the brain used in decision-making and complex reasoning, scientists have found.

The study, thought to be the first of its type, was carried out the University of California in Los Angeles.

Tests underpinning the research were carried out on middle-aged and older adults.

"The study results are encouraging, that emerging computerized technologies may have physiological effects and potential benefits for middle-aged and older adults," said principal investigator Dr. Gary Small, a professor at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA who holds UCLA's Parlow-Solomon Chair on Aging. "Internet searching engages complicated brain activity, which may help exercise and improve brain function."

As the brain ages, a number of structural and functional changes occur, including atrophy, reductions in cell activity, and increases in deposits of amyloid plaques and tau tangles, which can impact cognitive function.

Small noted that pursuing activities that keep the mind engaged may help preserve brain health and cognitive ability. Traditionally, these include games such as crossword puzzles, but with the advent of technology, scientists are beginning to assess the influence of computer use — including the Internet.

Additional details on the study and further research on the impact of computer technologies on the aging brain are highlighted in Small's new book, "iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind."

For the study, the UCLA team worked with 24 volunteers aged between 55 and 76 years old. Half of the study participants had experience searching the Internet, while the other half had no experience. Age, educational level and gender were similar between the two groups.

Study participants performed Web searches and book-reading tasks while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans, which recorded the subtle brain-circuitry changes experienced during these activities. This type of scan tracks the intensity of cell responses in the brain by measuring the level of cerebral blood flow during cognitive tasks.

All study participants showed significant brain activity during the book-reading task, demonstrating use of the regions controlling language, reading, memory and visual abilities, which are located in the temporal, parietal, occipital and other areas of the brain.

Internet searches revealed a major difference between the two groups. While all participants demonstrated the same brain activity that was seen during the book-reading task, the Web-savvy group also registered activity in the frontal, temporal and cingulate areas of the brain, which control decision-making and complex reasoning.

"Our most striking finding was that Internet searching appears to engage a greater extent of neural circuitry that is not activated during reading — but only in those with prior Internet experience," said Small, who is also the director of UCLA's Memory and Aging Research Center.

In fact, researchers found that during Web searching, volunteers with prior experience registered a twofold increase in brain activation when compared with those with little Internet experience. The tiniest measurable unit of brain activity registered by the fMRI is called a voxel. Scientists discovered that during Internet searching, those with prior experience sparked 21,782 voxels, compared with only 8,646 voxels for those with less experience.

Compared with simple reading, the Internet's wealth of choices requires that people make decisions about what to click on in order to pursue more information, an activity that engages important cognitive circuits in the brain.

"A simple, everyday task like searching the Web appears to enhance brain circuitry in older adults, demonstrating that our brains are sensitive and can continue to learn as we grow older," Small said.

Small added that the minimal brain activation found in the less experienced Internet group may be due to participants not quite grasping the strategies needed to successfully engage in an Internet search, which is common while learning a new activity.

"With more time on the Internet, they may demonstrate the same brain activation patterns as the more experienced group," he said.

Researchers noted that additional studies will address both the positive and negative influences of these emerging technologies on the aging brain.

The study was funded by the Parvin Foundation.

Additional study authors include Teena D. Moody, Ph.D., a senior research associate at UCLA's Semel Institute, and Susan Y. Bookheimer, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at the Semel Institute.

Chemistry Exam 1960s-style: How Would You Do?

laurence.cawley@gmail.com — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 19:55:00 GMT

How would you do if you went back in time and sat a science exam from the 1960s?

Well, that's exactly what the Royal Society of Chemistry decided to try and find out by getting top students from across the country to pit their wits against test papers from the past five decades.

In the wake of what it called The Five Decade Challenge, the RSC said it was very concerned that problem-solving, critical thinking and mathematical manipulation from school science examinations was disappearing fast.

And the society has now launched a campaign it hopes will raise awareness of, and ultimately reverse, what it called an unacceptable trend. An electronic petition has been set up on the 10 Downing Street website, demanding the government reverse the decline in standards of school science examinations.

The questions posed to students had a mainly mathematical or analytical basis from O-level and GCSE examinations set in the past five decades.

Over 1,300 pupils completed the 40-question, two-hour online test, which was conducted in the form of a competition. The data collected produced the following key findings:

The average mark for participants was just 25%
The average score was 15% for questions from the 1960s, rising to 35% for the 2000s
Questions requiring even simple numerical manipulation posed a high degree of difficulty

See the Test and the Findings for Yourself

First World War Memorabilia available online

laurence.cawley@gmail.com — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:18:00 GMT

Oxford University has marked the 90th anniversary of Armistice Day by launching a new, free to access website which will enable educators, scholars and the public to view previously unseen memorabilia from World War I.

The Great War Archive website brings together 6,500 digital images of items submitted to Oxford University by members of the public. The majority of these images are of treasured family heirlooms, which have never been on public display.

Every item originates from, or relates to, someone's experience of the First World War, either abroad or at home. Contributions were received via a special website and also through a series of open days at libraries and museums throughout the country.

Items include a bullet-dented tea can which saved the life of an engineer who repaired a bombing post whilst under heavy fire in Bullecort in November 1917 and a souvenir matchbox made by a German POW for a British Lance Corporal after they had fought a fierce fire together, saving many lives.

There are also remarkable sketches of scenes and characters from military and civilian life by Private Percy Matthews, until now, an unknown artist.

The Great War Archive complements Oxford University’s First World War Poetry Digital Archive, which will enable online users to view previously unseen materials such as poetry manuscripts and original diary entries from some of the conflict’s most important poets. It builds on Oxford University’s extensive Wilfred Owen Archive and contains over 7,000 digital images, along with text, audio and video relating to other major British ‘front line’ poets.

Oxford University’s Project Leader, Kate Lindsay, said: ‘The Great War is arguably the most resonant period in modern British history. The memorabilia and poetry archives will provide easy access to an unrivalled collection of material which will be of use to anyone interested in getting closer to this world-changing conflict.’

The websites have been made possible through the JISC Digitisation Programme which will see a wide range of heritage and scholarly resources of national importance shared with new audiences.

Link to Archives

"Nobody will mourn Key Stage 3 Tests", says association

laurence.cawley@gmail.com — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:51:00 GMT

The examination system will be more respected following a decision to scrap Key Stage 3 tests, it was tonight claimed.

In a dramatic announcement today, Schools Secretary Ed Balls revealed the Government was scrapping national testing at Key Stage 3 with immediate effect.

Although mentioned only at the bottom of the Government's press release, the decision comes in the wake of this year's tests for half a million 11 and 14 year olds, which was plunged into disarray with delayed results, papers returned unmarked and doubts over the consistency and quality of grading.

The decision to replace Key Stage 3 tests with a "report card" system, which seeks to chart the success of schools as a whole, was broadly welcomed and the Association of School and College Leaders said the Government was finally carrying out what it had been calling for for a decade.

Dr John Dunford, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) said: “Having advocated for many years a policy of intelligent accountability for schools, in particular the end of key stage 3 tests, I strongly welcome today’s announcement. The proposals will make the testing regime more manageable and help to avoid a repetition of the chaos in summer 2008.”

“Nobody will mourn the loss of key stage 3 tests or league tables of their results. This is not weakening secondary school accountability, but re-focusing on results at ages 16 and 18, which directly impact on students’ future prospects. By concentrating on what is most important, the accountability system will be strengthened and more widely respected.”

“Similarly, primary schools will be held to account for pupils’ overall achievement through the key stage 2 test. Although there should be a stronger element of teacher assessment built into this stage, it is right to maintain an externally validated element to key stage 2, not least because it forms the baseline for accountability of secondary schools.”

“Assessment at the end of key stage 3 will now be part of the normal cycle of teacher assessment from 11 to 16. It will be for heads and teachers to decide on appropriate assessment arrangements and how to report progress to parents.”

“ASCL will work with the Government to ensure that the end of key stage 3 tests does not increase teacher workload. In fact, this has the potential to decrease workload, as the time consuming period of preparation and mock testing will end. Teachers and pupils will be able to take full advantage of the increased flexibility recently introduced into the curriculum for 11 to 14 year-olds.”

“Today’s proposals will help to raise standards, combining greater scope for creativity with a stronger emphasis on the basics. The proposed functional skills tests will be an important component of this.”

“I strongly welcome the consultation on a balanced scorecard to replace league tables of examination results. Schools do much more than prepare students for exams and there will be the opportunity to reflect more strongly the overall performance of the school. This is a move towards the intelligent accountability that ASCL has been arguing for over the last five years.”

“I can see the advantages of a single overall grade in place of an examinations result percentage, which only tells part of the story of how good a school is, but the devil will be in the detail.”

“This package comes after many years of patient lobbying by ASCL and will be seen by secondary school leaders as a welcome move to intelligent accountability and assessment that supports good learning.”

Kathleen Tattersall, Chairman of Ofqual, said:"Today's announcement is an important development for assessment in England. Ofqual welcomes the government's decision to listen to advice about the impact on schools and the need for change, whilst keeping a focus on providing parents with information about pupil performance.

"The continuation of the single level test pilots offers further time for development and will mean that new arrangements will be evidence based. Any new assessments will be subject to validation by Ofqual to ensure that they command confidence and standards are secure."

Ed Balls said: “These reforms will provide more regular and more comprehensive information to parents about their children’s progress, support heads and teachers to make sure that every child can succeed, and strengthen our ability to hold all schools to account, as well as the public’s ability to hold government to account."

Later this year, the Government will receive Lord Sutherland’s inquiry report about this summer’s delays to national tests.

Which are the world's best universities?

laurence.cawley@gmail.com — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 12:44:00 GMT

This year's Times Higher Education – QS World University rankings have been published and show US/UK institutions leading the field.

Harvard led the field, followed by Yale, Cambridge, Oxford and the California Institute of Technology.

The way the review is worked out as a mix of peer review. employer reviews, faculty student ratios, citations for research and international factors.

The top ten this year are:

1 Harvard
2 Yale
3 Cambridge
4 Oxford
5 California Institute of Technology
6 Imperial College London
7 UCL
8 University of Chicago
9 MIT
10 Columbia University

University College London was one of the very few UK institutions to rise in this year's league table - from 9th to 7th. Professor Malcolm Grant, UCL President and Provost, said: “Our performance is a genuine source of satisfaction for the UCL community. League table success is not an end in itself. League tables cannot measure all of the qualities of a university. But this result does reflect UCL’s significant achievements over recent years."

“For all of the sector’s reservations about league tables, we have to recognise that their publication has focused attention on the importance of universities, almost as totems of national pride, which is absolutely as it should be.”

Phil Baty, deputy editor of Times Higher Education magazine (THE), said: “This year, most of the UK’s world-class universities slipped down the rankings, as the US cemented its dominance. The US invests more than twice as much in higher education, in terms of GDP, than the UK, and Harvard University alone, at the top of the table, has an endowment fund that is larger than the total public funding for all universities in England."

Accurate dating of cave paintings

laurence.cawley@gmail.com — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 12:37:00 GMT

Remarkable prehistoric paintings hidden away in the caves of northern Spain could be dated accurately for the first time.

A team from the University of Bristol's Department of Archaeology and Anthropology has just returned from an expedition to the Cantabria and Asturias regions of Spain where they have removed samples from more than 20 prehistoric painted caves.

The project, funded by NERC (the Natural Environment Research Council) will use a new dating method, based on the radioactive decay of uranium, to find out how old the cave paintings are.

Dr Alistair Pike, the project leader said: “These cave paintings are one of the most intimate windows into the minds of people who lived more than 15,000 years ago, but have proved extremely difficult to date. We don’t even know if the tradition of painting caves arrived with the first modern humans in Europe around 40,000 years ago, or was a much later development.

“Traditional methods of dating the pigments, such a radiocarbon are destructive to the paintings, and the samples are prone to contamination. We are using a new method that can date thin calcite layers that have formed over the surface of the paintings.”

In the course of the three year project, the researchers hope to more than double the numbers of dates on European prehistoric cave art, and relate their findings to the expansion and contraction of human populations in response to the changing climate of the last Ice Age.

“Taking the samples can be quite tough,” Dr Pike continued. “Some of the paintings were deliberately done in the least accessible parts of the caves so there’s often a lot of crawling. It’s not unusual for us to spend 10 hours a day underground, but the paintings are so spectacular it’s always worth it.”

The archaeologists took samples from the cave of Tito Bustillo in Asturias and La Pasiega Cave in Cantabria which contains almost 300 drawings of animals: the largest number of cave paintings showing pictorial representations on the Iberian Peninsula. As well as representations of horses, deer and cattle, the cave also contains over a hundred abstract symbols and several series of isolated dots.