XEP SÉ E WWW.EXEPOSE.COM
SPORT PULLOUT: BUCS WALLCHART FEATURING ALL THIS TERM’S FIXTURES THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1987
Examination errors stress out students
18 JAN 2016 | ISSUE 648 | TWITTER: @EXEPOSE | WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/EXEPOSE | FREE
Politics, Economics & Biology exams disrupted Angry students describe responding with “panic”
Susannah Keogh News Editor
M
ULTIPLE errors in exam papers have affected hundreds of students across the University, raising questions regarding the scrutiny of exam papers. Three separate exams known to Exeposé were disrupted by errors and confusion. The first, was in a Biology Animals exam on Wednesday 6 December, worth 50 per cent of the module mark. Students were repeatedly stopped by invigilators as it became apparent that the exam included numerous errors. In one instance, a four-option question was incorrectly listed as a five-option question. Elsewhere, a question with options iii, iv and v were wrongly detailed as options ii, iv, and iv. The exam was interrupted in order to communicate the Biology exam inaccuracies, an action which also affected final year Modern Foreign Language students sitting their exam in
Features: Should Britain stay in the EU? An indepth analysis of student opinion Page 12-13
the same room. Sophie Wakefield, a Biosciences student affected, said: “As a first year student, this exam was one of my first and therefore I was surprised that so many issues were present on one of the first papers I sat. It was frustrating that we were interrupted mid exam for the corrections to be made, but the invigilators seemed to deal with it well and we were given extra time to compensate for the time we were distracted.” An anonymous fourth year Modern Foreign Languages student sitting her exam in the same hall commented: “Our exam was only one hour long so it was very troubling to be distracted, as it’s very hard to get back into the exam flow. Advanced translation requires an immense amount of concentration, and I feel that the disruptions, alongside the location choice - we were at the Tennis Courts and could hear gym music from next door! severely hindered this.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Housing fair: too little, too late? Photo: Natasa Christofidou
Fiona Potigny News Editor
S
TUDENTS and letting agencies have expressed concern that the Housing Fair was left too late this year, following “unprecedented” student panic in finding off-campus accommodation for the coming academic year. Jon Carden of Cardens Estate Agents, which had 270 student properties available in November last year, claimed that students who attended the fair on Tuesday 12 January were left “disappointed to find that we had only 22 properties to offer following the rush for accommodation pre-Christmas. “We would anticipate that the majority of those properties would be let in the coming week, leaving a very limited choice thereafter. The market has un-
Lifestyle: The nation’s fave First Dates star: Exeter’s Louisa interviewed Page 16
doubtedly changed and it may be that consideration ought to be given to the Housing Fair being held earlier in future years, in order that students who wait for the fair to look for their accommodation are not at a disadvantage.” Star Lettings, who came to the Housing Fair with just seven houses to advertise, echoed these remarks, claiming that they had let “about 90 per cent of properties before Christmas”. Speaking at the Housing Fair, Star Lettings Director Cara Khadaroo told Exeposé: “It’s been the quietest Fair we’ve had in about five years, and that’s because a lot more were let before Christmas. It seems like more exhibitors aren’t here either. At half past one, it was very quiet and that’s very unusual indeed.” With fewer properties on offer at this year’s housing event, many students were
Music: We pay tribute to pop pioneer and cultural icon David Bowie Page 18
left “panicked” – some even resorting to queuing outside estate agencies in the early morning in order to sign contracts. “I queued outside a letting agents this morning at 8:30am to sign for a house to make sure we’d get it,” Dom Self, thirdyear Engineering student, told Exeposé: “We’ve left it to January in the past, but this week was chaos. I made bookings at the Housing Fair that were cancelled by 9:00am on Wednesday, and there were landlords at the fair advertising for 2017/18!” Amid this “chaos”, Rory Cunningham, Community Liaison Officer, still believes “students who don’t rush into housing contracts have a much better experience. Taking some time to reflect on the kinds of people you want to share a house or flat with can result in a more...
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Download the free Exeposé app