Examination Stringency
This morning was my first mathematics exam, it had been rescheduled for about twenty-six of us since our GCSE Physics exam was taking place immediately after the original slot - so would have put a lot of strain on us to perform well. It was the non-calculator past-paper and went, I think, rather well. The questions themselves weren’t very challenging and they hour and a half given was more than enough time to complete it. What stood out most about the exam, however, was the behaviour of certain pupils and how the invigilators responded to it.
The child development exam was also being sat at the same time as ours (it was the only remaining one and a half hour slot that could be used), one boy who had taken it was behaving in a silly manner, and eventually had his paper taken off him. A girl also got the hiccups. Both occasions prompted a response from other people taking exams; several people smirked at the first incident, followed by the majority of participants turning around (nearly everyone had finished so there wasn’t much to keep one occupied) when the latter occured.
At the end of the exam one of the invigilators (I believe the ‘cheif’ one) told us all, in a very stern way, that the behaviour had been utterly unacceptable, and in a real exam would not be tolerated. Fortunately this was simply a streaming and diagnostic exam, so disqualification itself was not imposed; but regardless, such rules are quite harsh.
It is my understanding that most of the regulations imposed upon candidates are designed to prevent cheating, as apposed to anything else. By no stretch of the imagination can I imagine smiling to be a symptom of this, in fact, it is rarely even disturbing to other candidates. While turning around can be an issue, the occasional glance never did anyone much harm. The same goes for mobile phones going off, providing they are not answered (or read) the most they cause is a minor commotion that can quickly be resolved. In any case I believe it is quite unfair that any of said incidents should result in disqualification, and cancellation of all your qualifications, there are far more serious things this punishment should be reserved for.