Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. watchdog (n.) [woch-dawg] – a person or an
organization that acts as a guardian or protector against illegal acts or incompetence
Example: Media may serve as a watchdog
to make sure that the citizens get the right information.
2. cite (v.) [sahyt] – to mention or give
an example to serve as proof or explanation
Example: The protesters cited many
instances of harassment from the police.
3. standardize (v.) [stan-der-dahyz] – to subject to set of
rules or standards
Example: The company policies are standardized
in all branches to minimize miscommunication between employees.
4. tuition (n.) [too-ish-uhn, tyoo-] – refers to payment for
instructions (usually in school)
Example: The students complained
about the expensive tuition.
5. garner (v.) [gahr-ner] – to get, to earn,
or to acquire
Example: The athlete won first place
because he garnered the highest score in the competition.
Article
Read the text below.
Requests for re-grading the results of major academic qualification exams from British schools have risen this year, according to a report by an academic exam watchdog.
The Office of
Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) reported a 19% increase
in requests to re-evaluate results of General Secondary Education Certificate
Exams (GCSE), Advanced Level Exams (A-Levels), and Advanced Supplementary Exams (AS Levels). The 38,000 exam
entries that were re-graded are from educational institutions from England,
Wales and Northern Ireland where the exams are taken by students.
Ofqual cites several reasons
why demands to re-grade the exams have increased. One reason involves the several
changes implemented in the assessment for GCSE which is taken by high school students aged
14-16. Education Secretary Michael Gove says that this should change next
year as they aim to standardize
the date when most students will take the exam.
Another major
reason is the increasing competition to get in universities. With the looming
tuition fee increases in UK
universities next year, grades garnered
in A-Level and AS Level exams can make or break the student's chance to get
into the university they want.
Meanwhile,
Ofqual rules out technical errors in exam papers as a main contributor to the
rise of exam result queries. Although errors—such as extremely difficult
questions or printing mistakes—were reported, Ofqual assures that standard
measures in dealing with these cases were already followed before releasing
the exam results. In the end, more than 12,000 exam papers were given a new
grade.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
● Why are academic qualification
exams important?
● Do you think there are other ways
to measure a student’s learning aside from examinations? Can you give examples?
Discussion B
●
Do you think the educational system in your country is effective?
●
American author Mark Twain advises to “never let school
interfere with your education”. What do you think does he mean by this?