1883.] 
On Technical Education « 
409 
has been observed that it is not always in the study of the ex- 
aminer that these papers are looked over and the marks 
assigned, but that they are sometimes examined in such un- 
suitable places as Railway Carriages, Examination Rooms, 
&c. I am afraid the poor science teachers sometimes suffer 
pecuniarily from such slapdash examinations, conducted at 
odd times, of their pupils’ papers. 
I will give an example to show how differently two ex- 
aminers will examine and mark, even in a comparatively 
small chemical class ; and therefore it shows how uncertain 
it must be as to what science teachers who are paid on the 
result system will earn, as it must vary with the examiner 
who happens to examine the pupils’ papers ; and it shows, 
further, that confusion and discrepancies would still more 
prevail if knowledge questions were largely employed. And 
it clearly shows that on account of the uncertainty of the 
amount of payment to be received, it will prevent some of 
the most competent from becoming teachers under this 
system. 
The two examiners I will distinguish by the letters 
A and B ; A is one of the professional examiners, and 
B I believe is one of the assistant examiners. The 
class examined was not one in the elementary science 
schools, but in a college of science. Examiner A does not 
belong to the college, but is appointed by the authorities to 
set a paper and examine the answers given ; B is the 
teacher in the college — he also sets a paper and examines 
the answers to that paper. The examination of which I 
give the results was held about eighteen months ago, but a 
more recent examination by the same parties in the same 
college would show similar discrepancies in the marks 
assigned by the two examiners. 
It is perfectly evident from the discrepancies in the marks 
assigned to most of the students, that, either examiner A 
thought the students ought to have had a better acquaint- 
ance with the subject than the results of his examination 
proved they had, or the two examiners adopted a very differ- 
ent system of marking, as B in not one single instance 
marked below A, but in every case above him. The teacher 
did not lose any payment by the discrepancies, as he is not 
paid on the result system ; but it would have made a 
material difference to one paid on the result system whether 
A or B’s marks were adopted ; for A’s marks amount on the 
average to 40*5, whilst the average of B’s marks amount to 
69*6 ; or for every 100 marks given by A 171*85 were given 
by B. 
VOL. V. (THIRD SERIES. Z E 
