BSB approves online exams with “astonishing” anti-cheat rules – Legal Futures

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has announced that Bar students will be able to take this year’s exams online – but barristers have expressed concern about the “astonishing” anti-cheating provisions.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 14th May 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

SRA allows trainees to qualify before completing PSC – Legal Futures

‘Trainee solicitors will be able to qualify without first completing the professional skills course (PSC) because of the Covid-19 outbreak, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has decided.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 24th April 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Coronavirus: How Will Exam Cancellations Affect Students? – Each Other

Posted April 14th, 2020 in coronavirus, education, examinations, news, school children by sally

‘With the cancellation of all GCSE and A level summer exams amid the coronavirus pandemic, the system for awarding student grades been transformed beyond recognition.’

Full Story

Each Other, 9th April 2020

Source: eachother.org.uk

How will law exams be affected by coronavirus? – The Guardian

Posted April 3rd, 2020 in coronavirus, delay, examinations, internet, legal education, news by sally

‘Bar exams have been delayed until August, but trainees have called on regulators to move their assessments online.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 3rd April 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

SRA relaxes assessment rules for students and trainees – Legal Futures

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has today outlined a significant relaxation of its rules for law students and trainees to allow their assessment to go online.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 25th March 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Bar students urge BSB to reconsider exam delay – Legal Futures

Posted March 20th, 2020 in barristers, coronavirus, delay, examinations, health, internet, legal education, news by sally

‘Students on the Bar professional training course (BPTC) have written a letter to the Bar Standards Board (BSB) to object to its decision to cancel the April sitting of the centralised examinations due to the coronavirus.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 20th March 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Online law school bursts onto scene for SQE – Legal Futures

Posted November 28th, 2019 in examinations, legal education, news, solicitors by sally

‘An online-only law school entered the market yesterday to deliver the new Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), with heavyweight backing from leading academics and lawyers.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 28th November 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Pre-92 universities lead way with BPTC pass-rates – Legal Futures

Posted November 26th, 2019 in barristers, examinations, legal education, news, universities by tracey

‘The pre-1992 universities achieve the best results in the centralised exams taken by students on the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), it has emerged.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 26th November 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Approval of SQE not a foregone conclusion, LSB warns – Legal Futures

‘Approval of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) is not a foregone conclusion, the Legal Services Board (LSB) is to make clear to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 12th November 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

AQA could face class action suit from parents of children who were possibly given ‘incorrect’ grades – Daily Telegraph

‘The UK’s biggest exam board could face class action from parents, following revelations that answers were being “remarked” by the same examiners.’

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 16th October 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

‘Staggering’ Home Office disregard for innocent people saw thousands lose visas in cheating scandal, MPs say – The Independent

Posted September 18th, 2019 in delay, examinations, fraud, government departments, news, universities, visas by tracey

‘The Home Office showed “staggering” disregard for innocent people during the visa scandal that saw more than 50,000 overseas students accused of cheating and cost taxpayers nearly £20m, MPs have said. The Public Accounts Committee found that hundreds of people were still protesting their innocence at “great personal cost” more than five years after being accused of fraudulently passing English language tests due to the Home Office’s delay in responding to indications that some may have been wrongly caught up in the probe.’

Full Story

The Independent, 18th September 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Alison Berridge, Alexandra Littlewood and Ciar McAndrew: Freedom of Information Journal – Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal – Monckton Chambers

‘Alison Berridge, Alexandra Littlewood and Ciar McAndrew, public law barristers at Monckton Chambers, highlight the points of interest from April-June decisions of the First-Tier and Upper Tribunals.’

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Monckton Chambers, 20th August 2019

Source: www.monckton.com

SRA considers ditching skills testing from first part of SQE – Legal Futures

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is considering whether to abandon the skills element of the first stage of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE), meaning it would consist entirely of multiple-choice questions.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 31st July 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Home Office used ‘confused, misleading, incomplete and unsafe’ evidence to revoke visas of tens of thousands of international students, report finds – The Independent

‘Tens of thousands of international students had their visas revoked after the Home Office used “confused, misleading, incomplete and unsafe” evidence, MPs have said. The department ignored expert advice and relied on “dodgy” evidence when it accused almost 34,000 students of cheating in English language tests in 2015, according to a new report published by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on the Test of English for International Communication (Toeic).’

Full Story

The Independent, 18th July 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘Discredited’ test used on two in five Syrian asylum seekers in UK – The Guardian

Posted June 18th, 2019 in asylum, examinations, government departments, immigration, news by tracey

‘Almost two in five Syrian asylum seekers were made to take a widely criticised language test to prove their nationality, the Guardian can reveal. Campaigners and experts have criticised the Home Office for the widespread use of language analysis on those claiming to have fled Syria, describing it as “pseudoscience” and a political tool to exclude migrants.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 17th June 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Investigation into the response to cheating in English language tests – National Audit Office

Posted May 24th, 2019 in auditors, examinations, fraud, immigration, press releases, statistics, visas by tracey

‘The National Audit Office (NAO) has today published its investigation into the Home Office’s response to widespread cheating by international students in English language tests. Clearly widespread cheating did take place but some people may have been wrongly accused and in some cases, unfairly removed from the UK.’

Full press release

National Audit Office, 24th May 2019

Source: www.nao.org.uk

Parents of student who died in suicide over anxiety attacks to sue Bristol University – The Independent

‘The parents of a student who took her own life because she was too anxious to make a public presentation are taking legal action against her university.’

Full Story

The Independent, 19th May 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

English teacher refused UK visa because her English isn’t up to ‘standard’ – The Independent

Posted September 7th, 2018 in examinations, news, visas by tracey

‘An English teacher has been refused the right to join her fiance in the UK after the Home Office claimed her English does not meet the required standard.’

Full Story

The Independent, 7th September 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Government ‘complicit in school’s illegal exclusion policy’ – BBC News

Posted July 27th, 2018 in examinations, government departments, news, school exclusions by sally

‘The government has been “complicit” in an illegal policy that saw a school force out pupils unlikely to achieve high grades, campaigners have claimed.’

Full Story

BBC News, 27th July 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Exam boards launch legal challenge over government’s flagship T-level qualifications – The Independent

Posted July 19th, 2018 in education, examinations, news by tracey

‘Legal action has been launched against the Department for Education over the introduction of the government’s flagship technical qualification, by the body which represents exam boards.’

Full Story

The Independent, 19th July 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk