Cambridge University Press
978-0-521-88414-3 - Examining the World: A History of the University of Cambridge
Local Examinations Syndicate
Edited by Sandra Raban
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E X A M I N I N G T H E WO R L D
Examinations are deeply embedded in our culture and govern
the career prospects of millions of people around the world. The
University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, now
Cambridge Assessment, was at the forefront of introducing public examinations for schools with the aim of raising standards
in education. Examining the World explains how the organisation, established in 1858, has evolved into a world authority on
assessment with three distinct areas of operation: international
examinations, UK examinations and English examinations for
Speakers of Other Languages. This is the first full-length history of the organisation, describing the development of its examinations from the early days to their present form, by authors
associated with Cambridge Assessment and other parts of the
University. It sets the history of the Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate in its institutional context as a department of the
University and in the immense changes which have taken place
in examining in the UK and the wider world.
© Cambridge University Press
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Cambridge University Press
978-0-521-88414-3 - Examining the World: A History of the University of Cambridge
Local Examinations Syndicate
Edited by Sandra Raban
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EXAMINING
THE WORLD
A H I S T O RY O F T H E
UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
L O C A L E X A M I N AT I O N S S Y N D I C AT E
EDITED BY
SANDRA RABAN
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
© Cambridge University Press
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Cambridge University Press
978-0-521-88414-3 - Examining the World: A History of the University of Cambridge
Local Examinations Syndicate
Edited by Sandra Raban
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cambrid ge university press
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge cb2 8ru, UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521709422
C The University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate 2008
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without
the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 2008
Printed in the United Kingdom at the University Press, Cambridge
A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library
isbn 978-0-521-88414-3 hardback
isbn 978-0-521-70942-2 paperback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or
accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to
in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such
websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
The views expressed in this book are those of the authors of the
respective chapters and not necessarily those of
Cambridge Assessment.
© Cambridge University Press
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Cambridge University Press
978-0-521-88414-3 - Examining the World: A History of the University of Cambridge
Local Examinations Syndicate
Edited by Sandra Raban
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To all Cambridge candidates
past and present and future
© Cambridge University Press
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Cambridge University Press
978-0-521-88414-3 - Examining the World: A History of the University of Cambridge
Local Examinations Syndicate
Edited by Sandra Raban
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Co n t e n t s
List of illustrations
List of contributors
Foreword
page ix
xii
xiii
Si m o n Le b u s
List of abbreviations
Introduction
xv
1
Sa n d r a Ra b a n
1 The University
12
El i s a b e t h Le e d h a m -Gr e e n
2 Cambridge Local Examinations 1858–1945
36
An d r e w Wat t s
3 Home examinations after 1945
71
He l e n a n d Jo h n Pat r i c k
4 International examinations after 1945
106
Gr e g La c e y
5 English language examinations
131
Pe t e r Fa lv e y
6 Research and development
158
Gi l l i a n Co o k e
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Cambridge University Press
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Local Examinations Syndicate
Edited by Sandra Raban
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viii
Contents
Ap pe n d i c e s
1 Chronology
2 Secretaries of the Syndicate
179
182
Bibliography
Index
183
189
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Il lu s t r at i o n s
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Simon Lebus, Group Chief Executive, Cambridge
Assessment, 2002 (photograph by Bruce Robertson,
Cameo Photography)
page xiv
HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, Chancellor of the University,
with John Reddaway, the Secretary, and Jim Jones, the
Operations Manager, at the Syndicate in 1993 (UCLES
Annual Review, 1993)
3
The Rugby Centre box taken to examinations by the Presiding
Examiner and the abacus which was used in examination
processing until 1976 (photograph by Nigel Luckhurst)
10
George Downing Liveing, Honorary Secretary from 1861 to
1862 (Cambridge Assessment)
15
George Forrest Browne, Secretary from 1870 to 1892
(Cambridge Assessment)
19
John Neville Keynes, Secretary from 1892 to 1910
(Cambridge Assessment)
20
Michael Halstead, Chief Executive from 1993 to 2002, visiting
Garden International School, Kuala Lumpur (UCLES
Annual Review, 1997)
24
Frank Wild, Secretary from 1972 to 1983 (Cambridge
Assessment)
27
Early examination processing: the punch card room at 1 Mill
Lane in the late 1950s or early 1960s (M/P 3/2; photograph by
Cambridge Daily News)
29
The Data Centre at Cambridge, 2006 (photograph by Nigel
Luckhurst)
30
Syndicate Buildings, Mill Lane, Cambridge, 1886 (M/P 5/2)
32
Syndicate Buildings, 1 Hills Road, Cambridge, on the site of
the Perse School for Boys, 1965 (M/P 5/3; photograph by
Henk Snoek)
33
1 Regent Street, Cambridge, formerly British Telecom
Offices, 2007 (photograph by Nigel Luckhurst)
34
9 Hills Road, Cambridge, formerly S. Cambridgeshire District
Council Offices, 2007 (photograph by Nigel Luckhurst)
34
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x
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
List of illustrations
John Reddaway, Secretary of the Syndicate, receiving the
Queen’s Award for Export Achievement from James Crowden,
Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, 1992 (M/P 4/2)
A letter from candidate 4733, c. 1890s (PP/JNK 1/3)
Certificate for the Senior Local Examination, 1919. Note that
it was issued by the Local Examinations and Lectures
Syndicate and bore the Vice-Chancellor’s signature (A/C 2/2)
Letter of 8 July 1891 concerning the establishment of
Cambridge examinations in the Straits Settlements (A/LB 1/2)
Cutting from the Journal of Education 1893 criticising the
English Literature paper in the Higher Local Examination for
that year (PP/JNK 2/2)
A board from the exhibition sent to Paris in 1900 showing the
growth of colonial examinations (M/PE 1; photograph by
Nigel Luckhurst)
English History paper for overseas candidates for the Junior
Examination, December 1940 (Bound Volume 1940)
Standard setting for the Sudan, 1955 (M/P 1/4; photograph by
Ramsey and Muspratt Studios, Cambridge)
School Certificate Question Paper for July 1928, Hygiene and
Object Drawing (Bound Volume 1928)
Walter Nalder Williams, Secretary from 1921 to 1945
(Cambridge Assessment)
Former warehouse, Combine House, Harvest Way,
Cambridge, 2004 (photograph by Cameo Photography)
Pre-computerised examination processing in the 1950s (M/P
3/2; photograph by Cambridge Daily News)
A level Performing Art students at Joseph Chamberlain
College, 1989 (UCLES Annual Report, 1990)
The Craft Hall at 1 Hills Road during Art marking, 1980s
(M/P 5/8; photograph by Peter Askem)
Progress House, Coventry, 2004 (photograph by Cameo
Photography)
Report from Sime Road Internment Camp, Malaya, 1945
(A/WWII 1/3)
Offices of the West African Examinations Council, Lagos,
1964 (M/P 1/7)
Home Economics examination at St Mary’s School, Kuching,
Sarawak, 1956 (M/P 1/6)
Craftwork examination at the Teachers’ Training College at
Nasinu, Fiji, 1956 (M/P 1/6)
Celebrations for the 20th anniversary of IGCSE, Cambridge
2005 (Cambridge International Examinations; photograph by
Nigel Luckhurst)
© Cambridge University Press
35
38
46
47
51
56
64
67
72
74
81
89
98
101
103
108
111
112
113
115
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Cambridge University Press
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Local Examinations Syndicate
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List of illustrations
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
xi
Caribbean Secondary Schools Conference, 1955 (M/P 1/5)
UCLES examination papers arriving in Zimbabwe and being
sorted for despatch to the regions under the supervision of the
Zimbabwe Ministry of Education and Syndicate staff, 1993
(UCLES Annual Review, 1993)
David Barrett, Syndicate subject officer, visiting Temasek
Junior College, Singapore, 1992 (UCLES Annual Review,
1992)
Bahamas examination room, 1948 (M/P 1/2)
Meeting between local examinations officers and John Sadler
from the Syndicate’s International Division in the Bahamas,
1992 (UCLES Annual Review, 1992)
Students studying science in Brunei (UCLES Annual Review,
1992)
Victoria International School, Tanzania, 1993 (UCLES
Annual Review, 1994)
Students studying for the Cambridge First Certificate in
English at EF International School, Hills Road, Cambridge,
2007 (photograph by Nigel Luckhurst)
Letter explaining the absence of Indian POWs from the
examination from Miss E. Herdman, British Red Cross. to
J. O. Roach, June 1945 (PP/JOR 1/1a xxvi)
Certificate of Proficiency in English paper on British Life and
Institutions, December 1964 (Bound Volume 1964)
Jack Roach, Assistant Secretary from 1925 to 1945
(Cambridge Assessment)
EFL examination in Rome, 1956 (M/P 1/3)
IELTS in China, 2006 (photograph from British Council
Beijing, provided by Sarah Deverell)
Cutting from the Journal of Education 1893 concerning the
dangers to health of examination timetables (PP/JNK 2/2)
Joseph Lloyd Brereton, Secretary from 1945 to 1961
(Cambridge Assessment)
Drosier House, Harvey Road, Cambridge, 2007. Former
offices of the Test Development and Research Unit
(photograph by Nigel Luckhurst)
Awarding Meeting for the Singaporean N level Examination,
2007 (photograph by Nigel Luckhurst)
Archival references are to the Cambridge Assessment Archive.
118
121
125
126
127
128
129
135
136
138
145
146
151
162
167
169
175
map
1
Countries (shaded) where Cambridge Assessment had centres
in 2006
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xvi
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Local Examinations Syndicate
Edited by Sandra Raban
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Co n t r i b u t o r s
Sa n d r a Ra b a n is Emeritus Fellow of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and a
former UCLES Syndic.
El i s a b e t h Le e d h a m -Gr e e n is the former Deputy Keeper of the
Cambridge University Archives.
An d r e w Wat t s has worked on national tests for 14-year-olds and the
Cambridge Assessment Network for Cambridge Assessment since 1992.
He l e n Pat r i c k is a former research officer and senior research consultant
with UCLES.
Jo h n Pat r i c k is a historian and former teacher in the Aberdeen College
of Education.
Gr e g La c e y is the former History Subject Officer and Officer in Charge
of IGCSE with UCLES. He is currently a trainer and senior examiner with
Cambridge Assessment.
Pe t e r Fa lv e y is a former officer with the British Council and has spent
some years seconded to UCLES as an English Language specialist and
teacher education adviser. He is currently a part-time consultant with Cambridge ESOL.
Gi l l i a n Co o k e has been the Group Archivist with Cambridge Assessment since 1996.
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Local Examinations Syndicate
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Fo r e w o r d
I am grateful to Sandra Raban and her fellow contributors who, with
the support of our Archivist Gillian Cooke, have put together this
collection of essays to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the
establishment in 1858 of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, now known as Cambridge Assessment.
It is, of course, quite possible to be educated without being examined, but the reality during the 150 years since the Syndicate’s foundation is that public examinations and the experience of them have
become an almost universal phenomenon. The memory of the row of
desks in the school room on a hot summer afternoon, the anxiety and
anticipation and then the surge of adrenalin as the paper is turned
over, all these are part of the common currency of modern life, an
experience shared beyond culture, time and place.
Some of the credit for this (if credit is due) belongs to Cambridge
Assessment. Now, 150 years after its establishment, it sets and marks
over 8 million examinations in 150 countries around the world, the
only awarding body still owned by a university, and very much a global
force in education. As such it serves the University’s educational outreach, allowing Cambridge to engage with millions of learners around
the world and to impact positively on their education.
This has always been a hallmark of the Cambridge approach and
is one of the reasons the Syndicate has survived for 150 years and
stayed true to its original purpose. This book describes how that
has happened and how in the modern world, where we face the
prospect of pen and paper exams finally giving way to computer-based
tests, Cambridge’s commitment to support all that is best in education means that it continues to be a progressive force, committed to
© Cambridge University Press
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xiv
Foreword
modernisation, at the forefront of innovation and, in all its endeavours, devoted to the service and promotion of learning.
Simon Lebus
Group Chief Executive, Cambridge Assessment
1 Simon Lebus, Group Chief Executive, Cambridge Assessment, 2002
(photograph by Bruce Robertson, Cameo Photography)
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Ab b r e v i at i o n s
A level
A2
AS
Advanced level of the General Certificate of Education
Second half of an A level qualification post-2000
Advanced Supplementary Examination equivalent to half an A
level
CIE
Cambridge International Examinations
CPE
Certificate of Proficiency in English
EFL
English as a Foreign Language
ESOL
English for Speakers of Other Languages
FCE
First Certificate in English
GCE
General Certificate of Education
GCSE General Certificate of Secondary Education
IELTS International English Language Testing Service
IGCSE International General Certificate of Secondary Education
LEA
Local education authority
O level Ordinary level of the General Certificate of Education
OCR
Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations
RSA
Royal Society of Arts
UCLES University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate
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Map 1 Countries (shaded) where Cambridge Assessment had centres in 2006.
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