It has been revealed that Bess students will have mid term ‘tests’ during their reading weeks this year. Bess and other students taking Bess related modules, such as some Msiss sutdents, will be amongst the only undergraduate students in Trinity subjected to these tests.
These tests are contrary to reccomendations by the University Council of Feburary 11th of last year, which reccomended that all examinations be confined to the designated periods at the end of term and supplemential exam times. ‘Reading’ or ‘Study’ weeks, as advised by the council should be seen as an opportunity for students to catch up on material that they have missed out on and not as an opportunity for departments to conduct exams.
Sources say that the School Of Business was at first refused permission to conduct these ‘tests’ but after pressurising college authorities were allowed to persist with their plan as they are in the interest of continuous assesment.
This is bad news for those Senior Freshmen Bess students intending to take the Foundation Scholarship Exams,during the first week in January, as it means that they have a year of constant examination and ‘testing’ ahead of them with the mid term tests being closely followed by the Michaelmas end of term exams being followed by Schols and so on.
The Education Officer, Ashley Cooke, has expressed concern for these students who face a tough year ahead of them with no break on the horizon.
This new structure has also inconvenienced a number of student socities who had intended to plan events for this time, namely the University Business and Economics Soctiey, Dubes, who have been forced to reschedule their annual reading week trip away,this year to Berlin, to the end of reading week.
Despite minor conflicts caused by the new college year structure, most other undegraduates have managed to dodge the reading week ‘test’ bullet and most facualties have observed their obligation to incorporate study weeks into their calander.
For the moment it seems as if the Bess students will have to solider on with their new year structure and in the wise words of Dubes Social Sec,Darragh Genockey, ‘hopefully people will be up for a good weekend after all the tests’.
