|
|
These are followed by a cluster of countries with established examination systems derived from one of these parental entities: Australia (New South Wales), Canada (Alberta), Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Lebanon, Pakistan and Bhutan. Vietnam is inserted at this juncture owing to the historical association with French schooling. (A case could be made for having begun with Vietnam, the ancient Confucian examinations meeting most of our criteria.) We then present some systems that developed more or less independently of direct influences from the two main centres: Greece, Hungary, Austria, Russia (Karelia), and Azerbaijan. The last four are noteworthy as being systems which are moving determinedly towards the externalisation of secondary school assessment.
Chapters 18–21 highlight the theme of external examinations operating beyond national borders. The case of Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean Examinations Council introduces a regional examining body. Chapters on New Zealand and Queensland (Australia) veer the spotlight onto the Cambridge International Examinations and the International Baccalaureate respectively. The last contributed chapter, fittingly, is from the International Baccalaureate Organisation.
The final chapter weaves together the past and present of external examination systems, with an eye on the future. A Beebian-style sequence is proposed which seeks to provide a theoretical framework that accommodates historical and contemporary manifestations of the external examinations syndrome. As a bridge between the past and future, just what it is that makes an external examination system work well is elucidated by outlining those attributes that increase their robustness and, hence, cost-effectiveness. Finally, attention focuses on the intriguing question as to what the future of external examinations will be in 21st-century secondary schooling. Will they survive or succumb to attrition as historical relics? What will their functions and manifestations be a few decades hence? How will the globalisation trend affect external examinations? We hope that this work will provide some indicators as to what lies ahead for these generally reliable, robust, and resilient—albeit sometimes maligned—educational icons.