Sir, Professor David Thomas (letter, Sept 2) is to be supported in his view that many, too many, university examinations are dumbed down. It is even worse than that; too many of them are not even fit for purpose.
Throughout my career, I have drawn on a deep reservoir of knowledge that was filled initially when I studied for exams. By contrast, when I recently taught a course in Christian ethics at a new university, the final examination mark was calculated from 60 per cent coursework and 40 per cent from examination. The pass mark was 40 per cent. The essays were consistently reasonable, though I suspect largely plagiarised.
The exam papers were dreadful. It was impossible to give many 20 per cent. The outcome was that most of the examinees scraped the 40 per cent pass. They had not demonstrated that they even had a basic grasp of the subject. I dread to think of the consequences when many went on to teach in schools on the pretence that they were qualified to do so.
The Rev Canon Professor R. John Elford
Liverpool