It would be worth considering just what a timed examination is for.
Any examination should allow a student to display their knowledge. Setting a
time should be an attempt to say that if a student knows his stuff then the
time is easily adequate to complete the examination. Extra time may be
necessary for some students because they need this to display their
knowledge, how this extension is arrived at is mysterious, for instance
every student with dyslexia is supposed to have the same needs.
If I were to set an examination in which someone could obtain a higher mark
by having more time would tell me that I have failed in setting the
examination, either the student knows his stuff or not and no amount of
extra time will change this. This leads to the natural conclusion that my
examinations should not be time limited at all, students can have as much
time as they want to complete it. This would then be inclusive in that if a
student needs more time for whatever reason then they have it, no labelling
of students would be necessary.
I would advocate that no examination should be time limited.
(Obviously there may be some subject for which timing and speed is
important, but I suspect this is fairly rare).
I have never yet heard a good academic reason for the standard three hour
examination. However I have heard an administrative reason, you can then fit
two examinations into the same room on the same day.
Before changing the time of examinations one needs reflection on what they
are intended to achieve.
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