Too many errors, CXC

The June 2006 English B exam was based on the revised syllabus proposed by the CXC. Not only is the syllabus new, but also the structure of the examination is very different from those of the previous years.

One would think that the examination, being so new in format and being based on a new syllabus, would be free of error. This was not so at all.

Paper 02 (21/2 hrs) carries questions based on works that the students would have been studying over two years. Section 1 in Paper 2 is based on Drama, mainly Shakespeare.

In the very first question, of the first section, there was an error. The question directed students to consider Act 1 of Macbeth, instead of Act 3, as it should have, based on the events the students had to discuss.

To all other English B teachers who may be reading this now: how many of you felt anxious upon this discovery?

Unfortunately, by the time we are allowed to view the question paper, we can no longer communicate with our students to give them a word of caution. Even worse, there was no erratum sheet attached to the exam paper.

My point is this: if the persons who are responsible for constructing the new syllabus and new examination were not thorough enough to identify such an error, then how thorough were they in assessing our students’ examination scripts?

My fear is this: students who attempted this question doubted themselves and wrote Act 1 (as stated in the question paper) instead of the correct thing which is Act 3 and as such they were penalised by the examiners for making reference to the wrong Act. After all, which student would think that the examination paper would hold such erroneous information?

I call upon the relevant bodies to investigate this. It is far too much of a coincidence that there be such an error in the exam paper, and have students performed so badly on the same exam. As you may remember, a CXC Mathematics exam past paper held a question to which there is no solution.

Imagine the perplexity of the student attempting that question in the exam! Even though I like the structure and content of the new English B syllabus, I am disappointed in the Caribbean Examinations Council for letting errors like this happen.

Please address this issue with urgency.

KAREEMAH ALI

via e-mail