Politicians condemn exam chiefs for accepting 'text speak' » Education » 24dash.com

Exam chiefs have today been branded as "ridiculous" after admitting that English answers written in text message language are acceptable as long as they are correct.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) said the use of phrases like "2b r nt 2b" or "i luv u" in exam papers are allowed as long as candidates showed they understood the subject.

But politicians today condemned the practice amid fears about the literacy levels of school leavers.

The admission comes in the wake of a report into Standard Grade English which revealed that examiners are becoming increasingly concerned over writing standards.

Assessors said there was evidence this year that candidates' quality of content was not supported by an "equivalent competence in the handling of the basics of written expression".

The SQA said today that although text answers were considered "inappropriate" and would not be eligible for top marks, they would still be given credit if expressing a valid idea.

A spokesman for the board said: "We give credit for the idea a candidate is expressing.

"But you would get more marks for that idea in perfect English than you would if you used text language.

"It would be much too harsh not to give credit for knowledge and attainment that is expressed in bad language."

The SQA said the guidelines applied to both Standard Grade and Higher exams, adding that the use of text language was present in a "very small" percentage of papers.

"We want to make it clear that text message language is not considered appropriate," the SQA said.

Three years ago the exam board warned that the use of text language in exams was spreading in Scotland's schools, and that it posed a barrier to attainment for pupils.

Pass rates for Higher English, the exam level's most popular subject, dropped 2% to 64.1% this year.

The Plain English Campaign said allowing the use of text jargon could limit candidates' ability to express themselves in standard English.

Ben Beer, of the pressure group, said there was also a danger of candidates' "street slang" not being understood by examiners.

He said: "It's fine to use a kind of slang among friends.

"And if you are in a situation where both the writer and the examiner are understanding that same language, that's OK.

"But in this situation with exams it's probably not the case."

Murdo Fraser, deputy leader of the Scottish Conservatives and the party's enterprise spokesman, branded the permission of text language as "ridiculous".

"No wonder employers are complaining about the lack of skills in school leavers, when students are allowed to pass their exams using text language. It's ridiculous," he said.

"You wonder what future there is for grammar and high standards of English usage when this kind of thing is allowed to go on."

Mr Fraser said an English exam was meant to test a candidate's ability to communicate in standard English.

Scotland's largest teaching union, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), warned that pupils would be putting themselves at a disadvantage by using text language in exams.

An EIS spokesman said: "The use of text message language in exams is clearly inappropriate, and this is reflected in current SQA marking policy and in the advice given to schools and pupils.

"While candidates may not technically lose marks over the content of their answers in text language, they will effectively make themselves ineligible for the additional marks which can be awarded for the clarity of their answer.

"Pupils should be aware that they are placing themselves at a disadvantage if they choose to answer examination questions in anything other than grammatically correct English."

Here are excerpts from some of Shakespeare's most famous soliloquies translated into text speak:

"2 b, r nt 2 b dat iz d Q wthr ts noblr n d mnd 2 sufr d slngs & arowz of outrAjs fortn r 2 tAk armz agnst a C f trblz, & by oposn nd em?"

"To be, or not to be: that is the question: / Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles / And by opposing end them?" (Hamlet, Act Three, Scene One)

"bt, sft! wot lIt thru yndr wndo brAkz? Ts d Est, & Juliet iz d sn. ArIs, fair sn, & kil d envios m%n, hu iz alredi sk & pAl w grEf, dat thou hr mAd art fr mo fair thn she."

"But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? / It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. / Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, / Who is already sick and pale with grief, / That thou her maid art far more fair than she." (Romeo and Juliet, Act Two, Scene Two)

"& gntlmn n Englnd, nw a-bed shl fnk thmslvs acrsd dey wr not hr, & hld thr mnh%dz chEp whl NE spk dat fort w us on St Crspns dA."

"And gentlemen in England now abed / Shall think themselves accursed they were not here / And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks / That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day." (Henry V, Act Four, Scene Three)

"2mrw & 2mrw & 2mrw crEpz n dis pety plAs frm dA 2 dA 2 d lst silabl of rcrdd tIm & al our ystdAz hv lItd f%lz d way 2 dsty def...tis a tAl tld by an ejit, ful of snd & fury sgnfyn nutin."

"To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow / Creeps in this petty place from day to day / To the last syllable of recorded time / And all our yesterdays have lighted fools / The way to dusty death. ...it is a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury / Signifying nothing." (Macbeth, Act Five, Scene Five)

Copyright - Press Association 2006