We are in the process of finishing exams here at the University of Pretoria. Exams in South Africa really have no comparison in the U.S.
They are similar, however to the O.W.L’s and N.E.W.T’s given in at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series and many of you may be familiar with those. Let me give you an example…
In the class I gave an exam in last Thursday, the exam is worth 100 points, which is worth 50% of the student’s grade. Students who do not have a 40% in their assignments prior to the exam can’t even take the exam, i.e. you have to “qualify” to take the exam. The student must receive 50% to pass the exam and a 50% to pass the course. If the student is sick on the day of the exam, they can arrange to take a “Sick Exam”- which is yet another exam that the professor has to write for those sick students. (Fortunately, we had no sick students on
Thursday.) Then there is a “Supplemental Exam” (a third exam the professor has to create)- and this is where it gets complicated…but in a
nutshell- if you get below 40% on the original exam, you can take the supplemental exam, which is worth ½ of the points of the original exam.
You can then add the points from the supplemental exam to those from the original exam to try to get your score up to a 50%. I told you it was complicated.
Exams are very official and formal here too. I have to sign every exam
paper- exams are always short answer/essay. I have to have the exams checked by an “External Examiner” once I have graded or “marked”
them, as they say here.
There are some other funny words associated with exams. For example:
“Invigilator”- An invigilator is a person who gives an exam. There are internal invigilators- the ones who wrote the exam- and external invigilators- the ones who check the exams after they have been given. We don’t really have a word for this in American English. The closest example would be “proctor”, or the person who “proctors an exam for you”. I think it sounds more like the title for the technician at the proctologist who administers rectal exams. "Sir, it's time for you to see the Internal Invigilator." It is such a horrible sounding word.
Funny conversation associated with this word:
Dr. Lyman to Department Secretary: “Petronelia, do you know where the exam is being held today?”
Petronelia the Department Secretary: “Are you the invigilator for the exam?”
Dr. Lyman: “Whoa! Um not sure what that word means.”
(Fortunately Dr. Geyer walks in- a very knowledgeable chap.) Dr. Geyer: “What was the question?”
Dr. Lyman: “What is an invigilator?”
Dr. Geyer: “That is the English word for it. I could tell you what the word is in Afrikaans but that wouldn't help. It’s the person who gives the test.”
Dr. Lyman: “Oh.”
Dr. Geyer: “You don’t have such a word in America?”
Dr. Lyman: “Sometimes we say that someone “proctors” an exam, but invigilator is a new word for me.”
Dr. Geyer: “So why is the Afrikaner helping the English speaker with his English.”
“Memorandum”- This sounds like the American word for a written official business or administrative communication. It is not. It is simply an answer key. So, here is the funny conversation related to a “memorandum”.
Dr. Lyman: “So what do I do with these exams once I have marked them.
Dr. Geyer: “Well, you put the scores on the front of the exam packet and then you sign it as the internal examiner. You then attach a copy of the exam with your signature and an indication that you have passed it on to the external examiner. Then you attach your memorandum.
Dr. Lyman: “A memorandum about what?”
Dr. Geyer (looking very confused): “What do you mean about what?”
Dr. Lyman: “What do I write the memorandum about and who do I address it to.”
Dr. Geyer: “A memorandum is the thing where you write the answers to the exam questions.”
Dr. Lyman: “Oh an ‘answer key’. I get it.
Isn't it so fun to be a professor.
They are similar, however to the O.W.L’s and N.E.W.T’s given in at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series and many of you may be familiar with those. Let me give you an example…
In the class I gave an exam in last Thursday, the exam is worth 100 points, which is worth 50% of the student’s grade. Students who do not have a 40% in their assignments prior to the exam can’t even take the exam, i.e. you have to “qualify” to take the exam. The student must receive 50% to pass the exam and a 50% to pass the course. If the student is sick on the day of the exam, they can arrange to take a “Sick Exam”- which is yet another exam that the professor has to write for those sick students. (Fortunately, we had no sick students on
Thursday.) Then there is a “Supplemental Exam” (a third exam the professor has to create)- and this is where it gets complicated…but in a
nutshell- if you get below 40% on the original exam, you can take the supplemental exam, which is worth ½ of the points of the original exam.
You can then add the points from the supplemental exam to those from the original exam to try to get your score up to a 50%. I told you it was complicated.
Exams are very official and formal here too. I have to sign every exam
paper- exams are always short answer/essay. I have to have the exams checked by an “External Examiner” once I have graded or “marked”
them, as they say here.
There are some other funny words associated with exams. For example:
“Invigilator”- An invigilator is a person who gives an exam. There are internal invigilators- the ones who wrote the exam- and external invigilators- the ones who check the exams after they have been given. We don’t really have a word for this in American English. The closest example would be “proctor”, or the person who “proctors an exam for you”. I think it sounds more like the title for the technician at the proctologist who administers rectal exams. "Sir, it's time for you to see the Internal Invigilator." It is such a horrible sounding word.
Funny conversation associated with this word:
Dr. Lyman to Department Secretary: “Petronelia, do you know where the exam is being held today?”
Petronelia the Department Secretary: “Are you the invigilator for the exam?”
Dr. Lyman: “Whoa! Um not sure what that word means.”
(Fortunately Dr. Geyer walks in- a very knowledgeable chap.) Dr. Geyer: “What was the question?”
Dr. Lyman: “What is an invigilator?”
Dr. Geyer: “That is the English word for it. I could tell you what the word is in Afrikaans but that wouldn't help. It’s the person who gives the test.”
Dr. Lyman: “Oh.”
Dr. Geyer: “You don’t have such a word in America?”
Dr. Lyman: “Sometimes we say that someone “proctors” an exam, but invigilator is a new word for me.”
Dr. Geyer: “So why is the Afrikaner helping the English speaker with his English.”
“Memorandum”- This sounds like the American word for a written official business or administrative communication. It is not. It is simply an answer key. So, here is the funny conversation related to a “memorandum”.
Dr. Lyman: “So what do I do with these exams once I have marked them.
Dr. Geyer: “Well, you put the scores on the front of the exam packet and then you sign it as the internal examiner. You then attach a copy of the exam with your signature and an indication that you have passed it on to the external examiner. Then you attach your memorandum.
Dr. Lyman: “A memorandum about what?”
Dr. Geyer (looking very confused): “What do you mean about what?”
Dr. Lyman: “What do I write the memorandum about and who do I address it to.”
Dr. Geyer: “A memorandum is the thing where you write the answers to the exam questions.”
Dr. Lyman: “Oh an ‘answer key’. I get it.
Isn't it so fun to be a professor.
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