文章大意:本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了确保英国考试公平的组织Ofqual正在研究学生在线考试的可能性,并且有关人士提出,针对学生能力的衡量,应该不仅仅局限于考试,应该采用各种形式的评估
Could school exams of the future be taken online? Ofqual, the organisation that makes sure exams in England are fair, is looking at the possibility of online testing for pupils.
Ofqual says it will explore the use of online testing over the next three years. The plans could be the first step towards online GCSEs and A- levels — the exams taken at the end of high school and beyond. At the moment the idea is in its early stages, but Ofqual says it wants to“explore the role of adaptive testing”— when online exams would automatically adjust to suit a pupil’s ability level.
Currently, exam papers are sent to schools where pupils sit in a large hall, on a specific date, to complete the tests on paper. Ofqual says the pandemic highlighted how this is not suitable under all circumstances.
Ofqual isn’t going to rush to make big changes. Ofqual chair Ian Bauckham said:“All proposed changes need to be carefully assessed for their impact on students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. ”
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, welcomed the plans to move away from exam papers. “Our current reliance on a pen-and-paper exam system, organised on an industrial scale (规模) with strict security arrangements around the transportation and storing of papers, is hopelessly outdated. ”
Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said that a greater role for technology was“worth researching”but that public opinion showed many people felt using“exams alone”was outdated. She would like to see a broader way of measuring pupils’ abilities, such as grading the work pupils do in class and for projects.“Education, and the proof of what a student has achieved in their time at school and college, is about far more than showing what can be remembered in an end-of-course exam. Grades and assessments should reflect this, otherwise, we are doing young people a disservice, ”she said.
8. What will Ofqual do?
A.Cancel GCSEs immediately. |
B.Explore the practicality of online exams. |
C.Offer A-levels to primary school students. |
D.Ensure the fairness of the qualification system. |
9. What does the underlined word“this”in paragraph 3 probably refer to?
A.Making big changes. |
B.Special needs education. |
C.The traditional way of testing. |
D.Carrying out adaptive testing. |
10. What is Ian Bauckham’s view on the pen-and-paper exam?
A.It should be gradually transformed. |
B.It is unfriendly to disabled students. |
C.It is still a perfect assessment method. |
D.It requires stricter security arrangements. |
11. What would Mary Bousted most probably support?
A.Offering all of the exams online. |
B.Stopping grading students in classes. |
C.Collecting people’s opinions on exams. |
D.Adopting various forms of assessment. |