D. Checklist for Setters and Checkers

The examiners should provide those asked to supply draft questions with a checklist of important considerations.

  1. Is the question on the syllabus (as in the Exam Regulations or Course Handbook (including the Lecture Synopses))?
  2. Is the mathematics correct?
  3. Is the notation and terminology standard/obvious/defined? (Standard usage from the course is acceptable without explanation but phrases such as ‘as in the lectures' should be avoided.)
  4. Is it unambiguous? Is it clear what may be assumed, what detail is required, and what would constitute a complete answer?
  5. Is the form of presentation familiar/inviting/readable?
  6. Does each question have an easy start, worth around 8 marks, which might be readily and routinely completed? This should not wholly be testing memory of previous material explicitly seen.
  7. Is there material designed to differentiate at the class borderlines?
    1. For the II(i)/II(ii) borderline is there a part that tests understanding of standard concepts/techniques (whilst still being rather straightforward) which tests whether a candidate can do any more than  merely memorise the bookwork?
    2. For the I/II(i) borderline is there a part for which a full solution requires truly excellent understanding and skill?
  8. Would a II(i)/II(ii) borderline candidate on average achieve around 11/20 marks for the question?   Is a mark of 16+ unlikely to be achieved by a significant number of candidates who are not of first-class standard?
  9. Is it the case that only exceptional first-class students are capable of gaining full marks?
  10. Is each question overall of a straightforward character?
  11. Are the questions as a whole fairly spread across the syllabus?
  12. Are the questions of comparable difficulty to one another?
  13. Are the questions sufficiently different from those set in recent years?
  14. Is the question formatted using the oxmathexam.cls file?
  15. Does the question, adequately spaced, fit on a single page?