Eton - naughty, naughty, naughty!

I have just posted twice on the other Eton thread over in Education so won't repeat myself here.

I would be expecting a full investigation by CIE covering:

-how many exam setters are also teaching students taking the exam? Are these two examples unique? Has the same thing happened in other schools?

• why was this obvious conflict of interesst not identified in advance by the exam board. Why did they not use retired teachers to set the exams? What is the norm for the setting of A Level and GCSE papers?

• what does an analysis of the results of the schools in which the exam setters are teaching show? Are the results disproportionately high for the cohort?

• to what extent do the answers to the questions above compromise the integrity of past results? What is the future of the pre U qualification now?

No one teacher sets the exams. It's a group effort and highly regulated.

One or even a few immoral members of the profession doesn't mean teachers shouldn't be setting the exams - they are the best people to do it and I would encourage more to become involved in that side.

Horrified as always over any teacher who cheats 😔 I don't know how they can look at themselves.

And yes, if it had been creative at ds1's school he certainly wouldn't have taken art as he is hopeless at it. I gather it is a lot of work so why would anyone who wasn't good at it bother taking it?

Oh sorry - didn't read closely - thought it was still on Eton!

Taking a creative is not compulsory. There are limits on how many you can take from the art, design, music, drama, computing pool (I think it is 2 but not sure) but the boys don't have to take one.

taking a "creative" is compulsory and not everyone can be good at Art

That explains why 147 boys (73% of the year group) did not choose Art as their 'creative'.

Sadusername - re the Art, exactly the same story at St Pauls 52/52 got an A* at GCSE in 2016. I remember noticing the same thing years ago when I visited and being amazed because taking a "creative" is compulsory and not everyone can be good at Art. I was told that it was all about progression, showing development etc. Hmmmm.

42isthemeaning
At University, EVERY student is taught by the exam setter
so the playing field is level.

In this instance, those schools who could afford to hire the exam setter
from an exam board with no ethical standards about conflicts of interest
got rather better "service" than everybody else ......

What do you think happens in university? It certainly used to be the case that the lecturers wrote the exam for the students to sit on their courses. A relative of mine was even told to dumb down exams to ensure more students would pass.

I do not think Charterhouse have been accused of cheating though. The report I read suggested that Charterhouse pupils spotted something about the Pre-U Economics exam on social media - they informed their teachers - who in turn informed CIE. None of the Charterhouse pupils have had their results annulled. I am wondering whether the whistleblowing from Charterhouse led to the investigation at Eton as it relates to the same exam.

I'm shocked that those who write the exams are teachers in schools teaching the very pupils who will take exams.

That HAS to be unfair.

Is that also true of GCSE and A Level exams?

Surprise surprise it isn't just Eton, Winchester too. Charterhouse being investigated too. Link to the Sun as others behind paywall.
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/news/4337205/three-of-britains-top-schools-accused-of-helping-pupils-cheat-in-exams-with-one-professor-suspended-over-scandal/amp/

what really stood out for me was the result for Art in 2016. All 59 students who took it got an A star. All of them. In the other subjects there was a bit more of an even spread.
As somebody who did Art GCE at a selective private school I find that result weird beyond belief.

My art teacher was opinionated - if you did it her way she marked you up, if not she marked you down
come the exam, three girls she hated got A (no * in those days)
one now lectures at RCA

the chances of a whole class having a style that matches the examiner is vanishingly small to the point of gross improbability

THe lid of the box has been opened

It made me thoughtful about the whole question of teachers writing exam papers. Whilst it is appealing to have a teacher who has had experience of doing so, hence schools proudly commenting so, one really wouldn't want one's child's teacher doing it in their year 11 - how on earth could they oversee and guide revision?

Imperial blether, I had a look at those results and for GCSEs what really stood out for me was the result for Art in 2016. All 59 students who took it got an A star. All of them. In the other subjects there was a bit more of an even spread.
Amazing that so much such artistic talent could be concentrated amongst the students and then nurtured by staff.

No, [http://www.etoncollege.com/userfiles/files/Final%20Summer%20PREU%20Statistics.pdf here are the PreU results for 2016.]] It seems Economics wasn't done that year.

I only found this out by googling "Eton A level results" - I don't have insider knowledge! I used to teach A levels so am mildly interested in their results.

Imperial
So is Economics the only PreU that Eton take ?
Every other subject is standard A levels ?

Because Economics is not listed on the statistics for 2016.

Imperial
Why are the PreU grades not on that list - as it was not A levels that were involved in this current story

ImperialBlether I remember the Sun headline when that story came out: 'Harry Rotter and the Half Brain Prince.'

Prince Harry probably inherited his mother's, erm, less than academic bent as well as her people skills.

Have posted on the other thread.

Eton have been caught.
I'd be more surprised if they were the only school doing it.

It has nothing to do with the exams officer - the teacher was a principal examiner for one of the exam boards (Cambridge) and leaked info to members of his department at Eton. There must be more to this as I don't get how a teacher could be so stupid!

Eton won't be affected it's one rogue teacher who'd barely been there 5 minutes.

Re: cheating in general at schools I've seen and heard of a lot of coursework "cheating" but never during exams. I don't know any teacher who would be stupid enough to take that sort of risk.

There are also recent related threads about exam cheating at a Prep school (not Eton) in both the Staffroom and AIBU...