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"Robot" computer to mark essays
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Computers have been programmed to scan the papers, recognise the possible right responses and tot up the marks
Polly Curtis
The owner of one of England’s three major exam boards is to introduce artificial intelligence-based automated marking of English exam essays in the U.K. from next month.
Pearson, the American-based parent company of Edexcel, is to use computers to “read” and assess essays for international English tests in a move that has fuelled speculation that GCSEs and A-levels exams, taken at ages 16 and 18, respectively will be next.
All three exam boards are now investing heavily in e-assessment but none has yet perfected a form of marking essays using computers — or “robots” — that it is willing to use in mainstream exams. Academics and leaders in the teaching profession said that using machines to mark papers would create a “disaster waiting to happen”.
The Times Educational Supplement has reported that the Pearson Test of English Academic, an English language exam, will launch on 26 October. It includes essay questions and will be used in 20 countries, including the U.K., to rate applicants’ English skills before admitting them to university.
Computers have been programmed to scan the papers, recognise the possible right responses and tot up the marks. Pearson claims this will be more accurate than human marking.
John Bangs, head of education at the National Union of Teachers, said that computers could be useful in many areas of assessment but cautioned against their use in English exams: — Guardian
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