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UK A-Level Examiners Considering Easier Approach For Students In Exams: Should Malta Do The Same?

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UK-based A-Level examiners are being asked to take it easy on students sitting for examinations in the upcoming term this year to account for disruptions to education caused by the pandemic. Disruptions seen in many countries across the globe, including Malta.

Grades issued by the examiners could be more generous and lower scores could be used to issue higher grades.

To assist the students further, details of topics that will appear in exams could be published, to some degree, to allow students to be better prepared beforehand.

Ofqual, the UK-based exams regulator, announced proposed changes multiple angles of the exam sector by way of the diagram below.

In all subjects save English literature, history, ancient history, geography, and art and design, pupils will be given notice about topics to be covered in the examination period, beforehand. Not by way of blatantly divulging the questions, but by indicating which topics to keep a closer eye on.

Essentially, questions will retain the same format, but students will be better prepared to face them.

Should Malta follow?

Lovin Malta has reported extensively on the education crisis in the country, which currently performs poorly on key indicators like reading, maths, and science despite having one of the largest investments per capita in the entire EU.

The country also has one of the highest rates of early school leavers, even though the state provides free education all the way up to university.

The reasons behind the crisis are vast, however, many point fingers at a rigid syllabus and curriculum that fails to foster long-term learning and retention among its students.

Lovin Malta reached out to MATSEC in order to gather their thoughts on whether a change in syllabus, as the UK’s, is necessary. 

They stated that in both 2021 and 2022, the MATSEC board called syllabus panels for all subjects and all levels to discuss whether any changes to the syllabi were required to reflect the school operations procedures due to the pandemic.

The panel was comprised of members from different schools or sectors. However, they did not divulge their consensus as to whether examiners should ease their stance on examinations.

Do you think examiners should take it easy on Maltese students in the wake of the pandemic?

READ NEXT: Embattled Malta Film Commissioner Calls Out ‘Hatred’ Amid Awards Show Criticism 

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