Expert calls for multiple choice tests at A-level, equivalent to Panhellenic exams

Exams that do not require pupils to write anything other than their own names should be introduced in all school subjects, according to Professor Dylan Wiliam, deputy director of the Institute of Education in London. He said the government should 'reconsider' using multiple-choice tests, which ask pupils to choose from a selection of answers, more widely. They could provide more information about pupils, test a broader range of the curriculum and are cheaper to mark.

'There is a British antipathy to multiple choice that is unwarranted,' said Wiliam. 'We spend roughly half a billion pounds on testing and most of that is on marking. More money should be put into the development of high-quality, diagnostic multiple-choice.

Anushka Asthana, education correspondent, Sunday April 20, 2008, The Observer

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