Waddell (1978)

Notes on the text

Part I

Preliminary pages Contents, Membership
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Educational matters
Chapter 3 Structure of the examining system
Chapter 4 Cost
Chapter 5 Conclusions
Appendices

Part II

Preliminary pages Contents, Membership

Report of the Education Study Group (ESG)

Glossary, Introduction
Chapter 1 Feasibility of common exam system
Chapter 2 English
Chapter 3 Mathematics
Chapter 4 Science
Chapter 5 History
Chapter 6 Geography
Chapter 7 Modern languages
Chapter 8 Classics
Chapter 9 Commerce
Chapter 10 Social science
Chapter 11 Religious studies
Chapter 12 Craft design and technology
Chapter 13 Technical drawing
Chapter 14 Home economics
Chapter 15 Needlecraft and dress
Chapter 16 Art
Chapter 17 Music
Chapter 18 Further work
Appendix A List of witnesses
Appendix B Questions
Appendix C Statistics
Appendix D Joint examinations

Report of the Cost Study Group (CSG)

Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Costs in 1976
Chapter 3 Costing a common system
Chapter 4 Changeover costs
Annexes

Report of the Steering Committee established to consider proposals for replacing the General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level and Certificate of Secondary Education examinations by a common system of examining

Chairman: Sir James Waddell CB

Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Education and Science and the Secretary of State for Wales by Command of Her Majesty July 1978

London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office 1978
© Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland.

Part I: Cmnd 7281-I
Part II: Cmnd 7281-II

Part II - ESG Report

Appendix B Questions
[pages 78 - 80]

Questions formulated by the Joint Examinations Sub-Committee (JESC)

1. Do the candidates entered for the experimental examination in this subject cover the full range of ability currently catered for by CSE and GCE O Level examinations?

2. Are the syllabus and educational objectives appropriate for candidates at all levels of the ability range under consideration?

3. Are the examination and assessment procedures appropriate to the syllabus and educational objectives?

4. Are the examination and assessment procedures appropriate for candidates at all levels of the ability range under consideration?

5. Did the examination provide a meaningful degree of discrimination between candidates?

6. Is the experimental examination capable of being put into operation on a scale comparable to the present entry for the CSE and GCE O Level examination in this subject?

7. What advantages, or disadvantages, do participating teachers see in the common system of examining in this subject?

The ability range

a. Do the candidates entered for the joint examinations cover the full range of ability currently catered for by CSE and GCE O Level examinations?

b. If not, are the conclusions concerning feasibility significantly affected?

a. Does the syllabus provide goals deemed worthwhile for all candidates and encourage them to work at a level and pace appropriate to their abilities?

b. Is any part of the syllabus and objectives unsuitable for any section of the ability range?

c. In the absence of a defined syllabus, how useful are the objectives in helping schools to frame appropriate syllabuses?

d. To what extent does the syllabus provide a basis for more advanced work in the sixth form or in further education?

e. Does the range of content reflect the objectives in a balanced way, or does it stress some aspects of the work to the neglect of others?

f. Can it be covered adequately in the time made available?

g. How do the objectives and syllabus compare with CSE and GCE and other joint examination syllabuses in your subject?

a. In the absence of a detailed statement of syllabus and objectives, does the scheme of examination make clear the objectives, skills and content it is intended to assess?

b. How well does the examination test a proper sample of the syllabus and objectives?

c. Does the examination effectively test essential skills and concepts in your subject at this stage of development?

d. Does the form of examination reinforce any bias in the syllabus and objectives?

e. Does the weighting of various components in the examination overemphasise or underemphasise some aspects of your subject?

f. Is the balance of subjectively marked and objectively tested components suitable for assessment in your subject?

g. Is the balance of external examination and course work appropriate to assessment in your subject?

h. Is the balance of teacher assessed components and external examination appropriate to assessment in your subject?

i. In what way does course work contribute to the assessment?

a. To what extent does the wide range of ability under consideration create increased problems in setting examination papers and other tests?

b. If so, are they capable of solution?

c. Are any of the tasks set in the examination inappropriate for certain levels of ability in terms of content, skills and concepts?

d. If so, are there other tasks designed to cater for them?

e. Are the instructions given on the papers capable of being readily understood by all candidates?

f. Are the design and layout of the papers equally helpful to all candidates?

g. Are certain techniques more effective measuring instruments than others for examining across a wide ability range?

h. What is the evidence for the above from other sources (eg current CSE examinations)?

i. Are there significant differences between examining techniques in terms of cost (finance, teacher and pupil time and stamina)?

a. Is the marking undertaken from the standpoint of CSE and/or GCE or is there a clear attempt to see all candidates as part of a single continuum of ability?

b. To what extent is the marking 'positive' throughout?

c. Alternatively, is there a cut-off between 'positive' and 'negative' marking and does it relate to anyone section of the ability range?

d. Are different marking criteria applied to different levels?

e. If so, how far are teachers and pupils made a ware of these?

f. Do the questions and procedures for marking, adjustment and grading result in 'bunching' at any point on the scale?

g. To what extent does the examination achieve discrimination at all levels of ability?

h. How effective are the criteria provided to assist teacher assessment?

i. How effective is the coordination of the marking?

a. What are the problems of putting the examination into operation on a scale comparable to the present entry for CSE and GCE O Level?

b. Do the recent extensions of the joint examinations offer more evidence in this respect

• in terms of the ability range envisaged?
• in terms of examination and moderation techniques?
• in terms of cost?
• in terms of administration?

c. To what degree does familiarity with new syllabuses and forms of examination overcome early difficulties?

d. Do the more recent examinations suggest that any earlier shortcomings can be overcome?