The Shift from Oral to Written Examination: Cambridge and Oxford 1700–1900

Author: Stray C.

Source: Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy and Practice, Volume 8, Number 1, 1 March 2001 , pp. 33-50(18)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

The typical modern examination involves the production of written answers to printed questions in a secluded physical location. In 16th century England university examinations were conducted in public, orally and in Latin, with the participation of the academic community. The paper gives an account of the shift from oral to written examinations at Oxford and Cambridge in the 18th and 19th centuries. Cambridge took the lead in this shift, largely because of the domination of its curriculum by Newtonian mathematics. Practice in Oxford began to converge in the 19th century, but oral testing was retained into the 20th century. Four factors are identified as crucial in the oral/written shift: the move from group socio-moral to individual cognitive assessment in the later 18th century; the differential difficulty of oral testing in different subjects; the impact of increased student numbers; the internal politics of Oxford and Cambridge.

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Publication date: 2001-03-01

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