Fitness for purpose - examining post-secondary English in Malta

Abstract

Some examinations enjoy a level of prestige such that they discourage an evaluation of their validity and continued usefulness and consequently changes to them are slow in taking place, if at all. This may be the fate of the Advanced English Examination offered by Malta’s MatSEC Board to replace those offered by Oxford and London boards to Commonwealth countries. The high status linked with UK boards may be the reason why the examination has remained largely the same despite its dubious validity and the uses made of the certification. This paper seeks to explore the validity of the current MatSEC English A-level and questions its fitness for purpose. The concerns raised following the evaluation are largely mirrored by the views of Higher Education lecturers from various faculties on the suitability of the examination in relation to the English language needs of their students. The argument is made for an alternative MatSEC examination that better serves students entering Higher Education for purposes other than the Arts.