Why when I taught in England could I have access to my daughter’s exam scripts but I am denied this by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)? It seems as if we have a policy in Scotland that protects examiners at a cost to our children.

Hugh N Campbell by e-mail

The SQA refuses to return scripts but allows candidates to challenge their exam marks with an alternative body of evidence. This is nonsensical in that it substitutes coursework with all its problems for the terminal exam, but the English policy of returning scripts to unhappy candidates is equally silly.

What matters is the accuracy of the examiners’ mark and in the end the responsibility for relying on that accuracy lies with the exam board. The solution to our exam woes is more experienced, better qualified and better paid examiners.

My son is studying for an engineering degree at a top university and it seems to us that the standard of teaching does not justify the huge tuition fees we are charged (£17,000 a year: Channel Islanders are charged “overseas rates”). He is in a “tutor” group of 120 students and lectures are given by people who are not fluent in English. What can we do?

Name withheld

The situation you describe is ludicrous. Individual attention is impossible in a group of 120 and lecturers need to be able to explain in English that can be understood. Your son should contact Ruth Deech at the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (www.oiahe.org.uk) and report his concerns.

My 14-year-old daughter recently received full marks and a head teacher’s commendation for a history test. She had memorised a dozen or so “bullet points”. Her class was studying the French and American revolutions and when I talked to her about the subject it transpired she thought the Americans were revolting against the French! Am I right in assuming that it is not impossible to pass a GCSE by memorising a requisite number of facts without any real idea of the subject?

Peter Schicht, Somerset

You are indeed. The good news, however, is that your daughter is studying something other than Nazi Germany and that she is memorising facts rather than being asked to empathise with the experience of Marie Antoinette!

If you have a question for Chris Woodhead, write to him c/o The Sunday Times, 1 Pennington Street, London E98 1ST or e-mail him, with your name and address, at education-questions@ sunday-times.co.uk

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