Quinn orders report on mistakes in exam papers
His request comes as the SEC apologised for the distress and confusion caused to students when it admitted there were three other errors in maths papers, in addition to one in Monday’s higher-level Leaving Certificate exam.
It has now emerged that:
*There was a typographical error in a functions and graphs question in Friday afternoon’s foundation-level Leaving Certificate paper 1, sat by around 2,400 students. It was detected after the paper was printed but the SEC decided not to read a correction to students as it might have caused more confusion than assistance;
*A calculus question on Friday’s Leaving Certificate ordinary-level paper 1, for 1,300 students in 23 schools piloting the Project Maths course, asked candidates to complete tasks no longer on the syllabus for them;
*In Friday’s Irish-language Junior Certificate higher-level maths paper 1, the phrase ‘even number’ was incorrectly translated as ‘whole number’ for around 1,500 students.
Anyone spot the mistake in #leavingcert Higher maths Paper 2 Q8(a) ? #projectmaths #SEC pic.twitter.com/lFO2AS7UxI
— The Tuition Centre (@tuition_centre) June 10, 2013
*Monday’s higher-level Leaving Certificate maths paper 2 gave students the wrong value for an angle in a trigonometry question, confusing students who used a second method to verify their work. The error did not feature in the paper for students answering through Irish, but they were told to insert the incorrect value of 36°.
The SEC rejected claims that other material on some papers was not on the syllabus. It said the impact of its mistakes on how students answered would be considered when the relevant marking schemes are being finalised.
“We anticipate that many candidates are likely to have worked through this question without entering a difficulty. Although the SEC has in place a range of procedures to enhance reliability and to minimise error, it is an unfortunate fact that errors can occur on examination papers from time to time,” it said.
Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland maths spokeswoman Elaine Devlin criticised the mistake and its ramifications for students.
Mistake in the honours maths paper and pass Irish. What's the point in the leaving cert when they can't get it right themselves?
— Ciara Noonan (@CiaraNoonan) June 11, 2013
“So much time and money has been invested in Project Maths, teachers and students have done our best. You would think the SEC would do their bit, but an error like this seems negligent,” she said.
The SEC also expressed regret that outdated information on the Referendum Commission’s work featured in a question on Monday’s Junior Certificate CSPE exam.
Of course there's a mistake on the ordinary level maths paper 1...for the pilot schools only though 👎😩 pic.twitter.com/QMHB0wrncO
— . (@hannahbyrne95) June 11, 2013
Mr Quinn said notwithstanding the many checks and balances in the system, errors can and do occur.
The lure of 25 bonus college entry points saw a record 15,000, or 29% of Leaving Certificate students, enter for higher-level maths.
John Moroney, a Leaving Certificate student at Presentation College Headford, Co Galway, wrote on the Irish Second- level Students’ Union website that he had not been fazed by the mistake on higher level maths Paper 2.
“Only if you were paranoid enough to attempt to verify your calculations using an alternate method would you have discovered any discrepancy. Still, it’s sloppy. If the SEC can’t design a triangle that can exist in the real world, it hardly fills you with confidence, does it?”
Here’s a taste of what was being said on boards.ie on Monday:
*“You can get answers one way but they can’t be verified another way, basic triangular principles were violated and as a result I feel violated.”
*“I used the sine rule correctly and everything and verified it by going over my calculations but when I added the angles up they never gave 180 degrees.”
*“Surely there was a mistake in that! Or am i just crazy?”
*“They made a mistake by making a triangle that can’t exist.”
The Irish Examiner sent questions to the State Examinations Commission (SEC) on how exams are set and issues that arise when errors emerge.
Q: Who has ultimate responsibility for setting exams in each subject?
A: The chief examiner for each examination paper is normally an examinations and assessment manager who is a full-time officer of the SEC. Each chief examiner has charge over the quality and content of examinations and the maintenance of standards in his/her assigned examinations.
Q: How many drafters, setters, and assistant setters did the higher level Paper 2 maths exam pass through before it was finalised?
A: In carrying this function the chief examiner manages the relevant contract staff, which typically includes... a drafter and a setter. In certain circumstances, assistant setters are also appointed.
Q: Are these full-time exam setters or are they working teachers also?
A: Drafters, setters, and assistant setters are subject experts and generally experienced teachers of the subject concerned. They are usually also experienced examiners.
Q: What are the rates of pay for each of these posts in relation to Leaving Certificate higher level maths?
A: The fees... are as follows: Drafter — €1,396; Setter — €2,475.
Q: What sanctions, if any, are in place for those who oversaw the setting of this or any other exam in which errors are found before changes can be made? Do setters who have overseen exam papers which later transpire to have errors continue to be employed to draft and set exams?
A: The chief examiner has discretion to decide whether the work of any drafter or setter in any year is of a sufficiently high standard to support their reappointment the following year.
*The following information was also provided: “At each stage of the drafting/setting process the examination paper is proofread and reviewed by the setting team in accordance with the SEC’s procedures. The proofing process involves the review, revision and processing of edits to the draft material...The SEC’s protocols require marking schemes and, in subjects such as mathematics, worked solutions to be prepared in tandem with examination papers and assessment grids are used to ensure that questions on examination papers are on the published syllabus.”
— Niall Murray
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