Physics past papers 2010-2016

The request was successful.

Dear Durham University,

Can you release all of the past exam papers taken by Physics undergraduates for the years 2010-2016. If possible could you also send the examiner's reports/model answers.

Yours faithfully,

Mr Travers

ACCESS I., University of Durham

Email: Mr Travers <[FOI #409171 email]>

Name:  Mr Travers

 

Dear Mr Travers,

 

Freedom of Information Request

 

I acknowledge receipt of your email dated 27/5/17 requesting further
information from Durham University.

 

Please be advised that the University will respond as soon as possible and
in any event by 26 June 2017.

 

Yours sincerely,

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ACCESS I., University of Durham

15 Attachments

Dear Mr Travers

 

Thank you for your request for information from Durham University.
Colleagues have provided the information below/attached in response to
your questions.

 

Can you release all of the past exam papers taken by Physics
undergraduates for the years 2010-2016.

The University confirms that it holds the information you have requested. 
The papers are attached for all examinations with the exception of resits.
The University declines your request for release of the resit papers under
section 36(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2000 (FoIA). Section
36(2) of the FoIA exempts information from release where its disclosure
under the Act would prejudice the effective conduct of the University’s
affairs. As section 36 is a qualified exemption, the University has
performed a public interest test and has concluded that release of the
requested information would prejudice the effective conduct of public
affairs (section 36(2)(c).

 

The University recognises that there is a public interest in releasing
information that assists the public in understanding how the University’s
assessment processes work and that there are pedagogical arguments that
suggest access to exam papers with mark schemes can assist students in
their learning. However, given the very small number of students that take
resits, the University sometimes reuses the questions contained in these
papers in subsequent years, often only with minor modifications made.
Publishing such papers would therefore either completely undermine the
assessment process in subsequent years or directly result in the need to
produce completely new questions, which would involve a staff workload
that would be disproportionate given the small number of students
involved.

 

If possible could you also send the examiner's reports/model answers.

The University confirms that it holds the information you have requested.
However, the University declines your request for release under section
36(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2000 (FoIA). Section 36(2) of the
FoIA exempts information from release where its disclosure under the Act
would prejudice ‘the effective conduct of public affairs’. As section 36
is a qualified exemption, the University has performed a public interest
test.

 

The University recognises that there is a public interest in releasing
information that assists the public in understanding how our assessment
processes work and that there are pedagogical arguments that suggest
access to mark schemes can assist students in their learning. However, the
University believes that release of all mark schemes (including model
answers/diagrams) would undermine the testing process. It would, for
example, leave students with no examination type questions to use as
practice during revision for which they did not have ready access to
worked solutions. Given that one of the main benefits of looking at past
examination questions is to encourage students to think about the ways in
which they could approach the questions, ready access to the answers would
compromise the learning process. In addition, release of this information
could weaken the effectiveness of our summative assessment process as
students could simply learn by rote rather than by engaging fully with
their studies.  

 

The files are attached to two emails due to file size restrictions.  This
is email 1 of 2.

 

Should you wish to appeal any decision concerning the University’s
handling of your request for information, please see
[1]https://www.dur.ac.uk/foi/info_requests/....

 

Yours sincerely

Elaine Richardson

Information Governance Officer

Durham University

 

 

 

 

References

Visible links
1. https://www.dur.ac.uk/foi/info_requests/...

ACCESS I., University of Durham

13 Attachments

Dear Mr Travers

 

Thank you for your request for information from Durham University.
Colleagues have provided the information below/attached in response to
your questions.

 

Can you release all of the past exam papers taken by Physics
undergraduates for the years 2010-2016.

The University confirms that it holds the information you have requested. 
The papers are attached for all examinations with the exception of resits.
The University declines your request for release of the resit papers under
section 36(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2000 (FoIA). Section
36(2) of the FoIA exempts information from release where its disclosure
under the Act would prejudice the effective conduct of the University’s
affairs. As section 36 is a qualified exemption, the University has
performed a public interest test and has concluded that release of the
requested information would prejudice the effective conduct of public
affairs (section 36(2)(c).

 

The University recognises that there is a public interest in releasing
information that assists the public in understanding how the University’s
assessment processes work and that there are pedagogical arguments that
suggest access to exam papers with mark schemes can assist students in
their learning. However, given the very small number of students that take
resits, the University sometimes reuses the questions contained in these
papers in subsequent years, often only with minor modifications made.
Publishing such papers would therefore either completely undermine the
assessment process in subsequent years or directly result in the need to
produce completely new questions, which would involve a staff workload
that would be disproportionate given the small number of students
involved.

 

If possible could you also send the examiner's reports/model answers.

The University confirms that it holds the information you have requested.
However, the University declines your request for release under section
36(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2000 (FoIA). Section 36(2) of the
FoIA exempts information from release where its disclosure under the Act
would prejudice ‘the effective conduct of public affairs’. As section 36
is a qualified exemption, the University has performed a public interest
test.

 

The University recognises that there is a public interest in releasing
information that assists the public in understanding how our assessment
processes work and that there are pedagogical arguments that suggest
access to mark schemes can assist students in their learning. However, the
University believes that release of all mark schemes (including model
answers/diagrams) would undermine the testing process. It would, for
example, leave students with no examination type questions to use as
practice during revision for which they did not have ready access to
worked solutions. Given that one of the main benefits of looking at past
examination questions is to encourage students to think about the ways in
which they could approach the questions, ready access to the answers would
compromise the learning process. In addition, release of this information
could weaken the effectiveness of our summative assessment process as
students could simply learn by rote rather than by engaging fully with
their studies.  

 

The files are attached to two emails due to file size restrictions.  This
is email 2 of 2.

 

Should you wish to appeal any decision concerning the University’s
handling of your request for information, please see
[1]https://www.dur.ac.uk/foi/info_requests/....

 

Yours sincerely

Elaine Richardson

Information Governance Officer

Durham University

 

 

 

 

 

References

Visible links
1. https://www.dur.ac.uk/foi/info_requests/...