Exams and the way they are set and marked are a constant source of debate amongst teachers, heads and successive governments. The public exam system changes so regularly that it becomes nigh on impossible to compare the performance of different generations or to say whether standards of education are rising or falling.
The Common Entrance exam was introduced in 1903 to provide an examination for entrance into senior independent schools. The papers and the material covered now are, naturally, vastly different to then but the fact that Common Entrance represents the gold standard of independent prep school education has not.
Some have criticised Common Entrance for being too heavily based on factual learning and not allowing candidates to demonstrate a wider range of skills. In fact, the syllabi do allow for a far broader range of skills to be taught and tested. The style and content of CE papers is under constant review and pupils have ample opportunity to demonstrate creativity and analytical skills. They do also test the more able candidates who are just below scholarship level. There is a range of papers in different subjects and at different levels and the way in which the pupils are tested is also frequently discussed. The ISEB is currently looking at the possibility of online testing in Mandarin which is an exciting innovation.
It is essential that there should be a rigorous exam at the end of year 8. The pupils enjoy having something to work towards and they feel a huge sense of achievement when they receive their results.
The last two years at a good prep school, however, are about far more than just the Common Entrance exam at the end of it. It is down to the schools and the teachers to make sure that pupils receive a rounded education. Good teachers will use the Common Entrance syllabus as a foundation for their teaching and planning but will not be limited by it. They will give their pupils the opportunity to learn in different ways and in different environments. Schools will provide plenty of scope for music, drama and sport and they will encourage pupils to take on leadership roles and learn about themselves in the process.
What we must not do, is lower our expectations of our pupils. We need to give them some credit and allow them to be challenged so that they can show us, and themselves, what they are capable of.
