Cambridge University may end handwritten exams

 

The world-renowned Cambridge University is considering abolishing handwritten exams after 800 years. University officials may ask students to type their exam answers on a computer rather than use a pen. The move follows complaints from examination markers who say they are finding test papers increasingly illegible due to poor handwriting. Academics say today's students primarily use laptops in lectures and tutorials instead of pens. Students are losing the ability to write by hand. One academic said asking students to hand-write exams actually causes them physical difficulties. The muscles in their hand are not used to writing extensively for prolonged periods of two to three hours.

A Cambridge University lecturer, Dr Sarah Pearsall, told Britain's 'Daily Telegraph' newspaper that handwriting was becoming a "lost art". She said: "Twenty years ago, students routinely wrote by hand several hours a day, but now they write virtually nothing by hand, except exams." She added: "We have been concerned for years about the declining handwriting problem. There has definitely been a downward trend. It is difficult for both the students and the examiners as it is harder and harder to read these exam scripts." Dr Pearsall says some students' handwriting is so illegible that they had to return to the university over the summer to read their answers out loud to examiners who could not read their writing.

After reading:

 

 II. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

 

1)    abolishing

2)    rather than

3)    complaints

4)    primarily

5)    prolonged

6)    routinely

7)    virtually

8)    concerned

9)    illegible

10)  handwriting

a) grumbles     b) regularly     c) worried     d) instead of     e) penmanship      f) getting rid of      g) unreadable     h) lengthy      i) mainly      j) almost 1)

2)

III. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible:

1) Cambridge University is considering

2) students primarily

3) causes them physical

4) not used to

5) prolonged periods

6) handwriting was becoming a

7) Twenty years ago, students routinely

8) There has definitely been a downward

9) students' handwriting is so

10) read their answers

 

 

a) wrote by hand

b) writing extensively

c) illegible

d) "lost art"

e) difficulties

f) abolishing handwritten exams

g) out loud

h) of two to three hours

i) trend

j) use laptops in lectures

IV. Gap fill: Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

a) illegible

b) officials

c) physical

d) primarily

e) abolishing

f) periods

g) rather

h) losing

The world-renowned Cambridge University is considering (1) ____________ handwritten exams after 800 years. University (2) ____________ may ask students to type their exam answers on a computer (3) ____________ than use a pen. The move follows complaints from examination markers who say they are finding test papers increasingly (4) ____________ due to poor handwriting. Academics say today's students (5) ____________ use laptops in lectures and tutorials instead of pens. Students are (6) ____________ the ability to write by hand. One academic said asking students to hand-write exams actually causes them (7) ____________ difficulties. The muscles in their hand are not used to writing extensively for prolonged (8) ____________ of two to three hours.

V. Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

a) trend

b) several

c) loud

d) art

e) declining

f) return

g) except

h) scripts

A Cambridge University lecturer, Dr Sarah Pearsall, told Britain's 'Daily Telegraph' newspaper that handwriting was becoming a "lost (9) ____________". She said: "Twenty years ago, students routinely [wrote] by hand (10) ____________ hours a day, but now they write virtually nothing by hand, (11) ____________ exams." She added: "We have been concerned for years about the (12) ____________ handwriting problem. There has definitely been a downward (13) ____________. It is difficult for both the students and the examiners as it is harder and harder to read these [exam] (14) ____________." Dr Pearsall says some students' handwriting is so illegible that they had to (15) ____________ to the university over the summer to read their answers out (16) ____________ to examiners who could not read their writing.

VI. Guess the answers.

1) The world-renowned Cambridge University is considering ______ exams

a. abolish in handwritten

b. and polishing handwritten

c. abolishing handwritten

d. abolition handwritten

 

2) ask students to type their exam answers on a computer ______ a pen

a. rather than use

b. lather than use

c. father than use

d. farther than use

 

3) examination markers who say they are finding test papers ______

a. increasingly ill ledge able

b. increasingly illegibly

c. increasingly ill eligible

d. increasingly illegible

 

4) Academics say today's students primarily use laptops in lectures and tutorials ______

a. in stead of pen

b. instead of pens

c. instead off pens

d. instead of pen

 

5) The muscles in their hand are not used to writing extensively for ______

a. prologue periods

b. pre longed periods

c. prolonged periods

d. prolonged period

6) Pearsall told Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper that handwriting was becoming ______

a. a "lost art"

b. a "loss tart"

c. at a "lost art"

d. at a "loss tart"

 

7) students routinely wrote by hand several hours a day, but now they write ______

a. virtually noting

b. virtual noting

c. virtual anything

d. virtually nothing

 

8) She added: "We have been concerned for years about the ______ problem

a. decline in handwriting

b. declining handwriting

c. decline in-hand writing

d. declining in-hand written

 

9) both the students and the examiners as it is harder and harder to read ______

a. these exams scripts

b. these exams crypts

c. these exams clips

d. these exam scripts

 

10) they had to return to the university over the summer to read their ______

a. answers out loud

b. answers out lewd

c. answers out laud

d. answers out load

VII. Comprehension questions

1. For how long has Cambridge University had hand written exams?

2. What did exam markers say was becoming increasingly poor?

3. What do students mainly use in lectures and tutorials?

4. What do hand-written exams cause many students?

5. What is not used in students' hands for long periods of time?

6. What did a doctor say handwriting was becoming?

7. What did the doctor say students write by hand today?

8. What kind of trend did the doctor identify with handwriting quality?

9. What is it harder for students and academics to read?

10. Where did some students have to return to over the summer?

VIII. Multiple choice quiz:

1) For how long has Cambridge University had hand written exams?

a) 700 years

b) 600 years

c) 800 years

d) 900 years

 

2) What did exam markers say was becoming increasingly poor?

a) handwriting

b) Cambridge University

c) students

d) education

 

3) What do students mainly use in lectures and tutorials?

a) notebooks

b) laptops

c) tablets

d) desktops

 

4) What do hand-written exams cause many students?

a) paralysis

b) stress

c) hand-eye coordination

d) physical difficulties

 

5) What is not used in students' hands for long periods of time?

a) pens

b) pencils

c) muscles

d) dictionaries

6) What did a doctor say handwriting was becoming?

a) modern art

b) a lost art

c) a fine art

d) a mainstream art

 

7) What did the doctor say students write by hand today?

a) shopping lists

b) songs

c) poems

d) only exams

 

8) What kind of trend did the doctor identify with handwriting quality?

a) a Twitter trend

b) a downward trend

c) a social media trend

d) a best trend

 

9) What is it harder for students and academics to read?

a) Latin

b) exam scripts

c) research papers

d) newspapers

 

10) Where did some students have to return to over the summer?

a) the university

b) home

c) their place of birth

d) London

IX. Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)