high_jump_5

I always thought that the pass mark in most examinations was 50%.

However, I appear to have been wrong.

It is now 21%, as described in the following "Daily Telegraph" article.


PUPILS CAN PASS A NEW MATHEMATICS EXAMINATION BY ANSWEING JUST ONE-IN-FIVE QUESTIONS CORRECTLY.

Thousands of 14-year-olds taking the SATS test this year needed to score just 21 per cent to reach the level expected of their age.

The pass mark was set for pupils taking a more advanced paper as part of so-called Key Stage 3 exams.

Pupils taking a more basic test only had to answer a third of questions correctly.

The disclosure was branded "absurd" by the Conservatives, who said the low pass mark undermined public confidence in the examination system.

It comes amid continuing fears over standards of mathematics in Britain.

Last month, a report by the think-tank Reform said GCSEs were "considerably" easier than tests sat 50 years ago as questions had been simplified to make them more relevant to modern teenagers.

It was claimed that the lack of rigour in secondary schools may be turning many young people off maths - posing a long-term threat to the economy.

This year, around 600,000 pupils sat Key Stage 3 tests in maths, English and science.

The tests - taken three years into secondary school - are seen as a key indicator of success in GCSEs.

In 2007, standards in maths dropped slightly as 24 per cent failed to achieve the target expected of the age group.

But there are fears that low pass marks - set by independent panels who analyse the relative difficulty of the test - may lead to possible grade inflation. Boundaries change year-on-year depending on the exam questions.

In this year's test, 14-year-olds taking the top paper needed to score 21 per cent and pupils required 36 per cent for a slightly easier paper, according to the Times Educational Supplement. A third paper - for the weakest pupils - had a pass mark of 64 per cent.

Teachers said the low marks may prompt schools to enter weak students in the harder tests in the hope they may scrap a pass.

Jennie Golding, from the Mathematical Association, said: "Educationally, what you want is to have pupils taking papers where they can comfortably complete most of the questions. "Passing a harder question with a very low proportion of questions right gives them precious little to build on at Key Stage 4 [last two years of school]."

The pass mark for the lower paper is actually beneath that in a corresponding test sat by primary school children.

At 14, pupils are supposed to gain at least a Level 5 in the annual exams. At the age of 11, pupils are required to reach Level 4 - but can be awarded a higher Level 5 for outstanding results.

An analysis of this year's grade boundaries shows the weakest 11-year-olds had to answer at least 78 per cent of questions correctly to be marked up to Level 5. But in the easiest test for 14-year-olds, pupils needed just 64 per cent for the same mark.

Nick Gibb, the shadow schools minister, said: "It is absurd that you can pass an exam by getting four out of five questions wrong - this simply acts to undermine the public's faith in the exams system."