Mocks threads in JC/LC forums

Bananaleaf · 06-02-2016 8:11pm #1

Why is this allowed?

As a teacher who corrects their own mocks, these threads make the whole process seem like such a waste of my mid-term break.

I know that if they weren't getting the info here that maybe they'd be getting it elsewhere. I am also aware that students don't have to look at the spoilers if they don't want to.

Just curious as to why this is allowed. Boards.ie have no problem with censoring their users as can be seen in pretty much every topic or sub-topic throughout the entire site.

Also - a bit weird that it's fine to post spoilers galore, but it's forbidden to ask for them!!? In for a penny, in for a pound surely

This is right up there with those teachers who give hints about the exams.

spurious · 06-02-2016 8:33pm

It isn't allowed in the JC forum.

The no request rule in the LC forum is to facilitate searching the thread to find answers. It seems beyond the comprehension of many who use that thread. I wouldn't be too hopeful for their reading of LC questions if they cannot follow the most basic of instructions, i.e 'read the first post'.

RealJohn · 09-02-2016 11:19am

Personally, I don't really care but it wouldn't be allowed for various other things of this nature. Live sports streams spring to mind as something somewhat similar, even if not analogous. I suppose the fact that nobody is going to sue boards.ie over leaked mocks affects how they're dealt with. Integrity, eh?

RealJohn · 09-02-2016 11:20am

Although I would ask, has anyone here reported threads/posts involving leaked mocks? They have an excuse to ignore them if nobody reports them.

spurious · 09-02-2016 3:14pm

I know there is an issue if anyone posts scans. I can't exactly remember, but I think one of the companies was in touch with the office a few years ago about copyright regarding scans of papers.

evolving_doors · 09-02-2016 11:12pm

spurious wrote: »

I know there is an issue if anyone posts scans. I can't exactly remember, but I think one of the companies was in touch with the office a few years ago about copyright regarding scans of papers.

I know of a school who got sued because they used photocopied papers from an exam company (i.e. didn't pay for anything to the company and teacher copied a sample!).

Although I think it can reflect badly on a teacher (wrongly of course) if a student gets good grades in the mocks through surreptitious means.

Teacher0101 · 11-02-2016 10:16pm

‘I suppose the fact that nobody is going to sue boards.ie over leaked mocks affects how they're dealt with. Integrity, eh?’
This is the key point another poster raised.
This is meant to be on a Leaving Cert forum. Moderated by people interested in education. Yes students will get mock papers in other ways, but why are they put on a forum whose raison d'être is the facilitate the TALKING about LC exams, not just have massive spoilers to facilitate cheating.
The moderator just kicked into touch with the respose also. Great its not allowed in the JC forum. It’s pretty important that the integrity of the mocks at LC are upheld. What good is having a heavily used site such as this (by students) pasting up the contents of entire papers online?
Issues of ‘copyrighting papers’ is being pedantic. The questions are being pasted up. Yes (again) people doing the LC will get copies of the mock exams some way electronically now, but pasting the questions up is for all intents and purposes giving people the questions.
How can people who are former teachers, that moderate the board, think this is grand and should be allowed to continue? What is your role as moderator? To facilitate the discussion of LC topics or to throw a blind eye to a few spoilers onto Qs that are pasted up immediately after an exam?
Straight answer would be nice.
It’s a bad situation that’s gone on for a long time on this site. Any mention of MCD here years ago would have moderators in a total panic attack with everything shut down.
But sure it’s only the integrity of a very important run up to a real state exam. All Q’s can be leaked here. Everyone can get inflated grades. What good is that? A teaching forum that screws teachers good work over. Nearly as efficient as the teacher unions.

spurious · 12-02-2016 12:06am

Teacher0101 wrote: »

‘I suppose the fact that nobody is going to sue boards.ie over leaked mocks affects how they're dealt with. Integrity, eh?’
This is the key point another poster raised.
This is meant to be on a Leaving Cert forum. Moderated by people interested in education. Yes students will get mock papers in other ways, but why are they put on a forum whose raison d'être is the facilitate the TALKING about LC exams, not just have massive spoilers to facilitate cheating.
The moderator just kicked into touch with the respose also. Great its not allowed in the JC forum. It’s pretty important that the integrity of the mocks at LC are upheld. What good is having a heavily used site such as this (by students) pasting up the contents of entire papers online?
Issues of ‘copyrighting papers’ is being pedantic. The questions are being pasted up. Yes (again) people doing the LC will get copies of the mock exams some way electronically now, but pasting the questions up is for all intents and purposes giving people the questions.
How can people who are former teachers, that moderate the board, think this is grand and should be allowed to continue? What is your role as moderator? To facilitate the discussion of LC topics or to throw a blind eye to a few spoilers onto Qs that are pasted up immediately after an exam?
Straight answer would be nice.
It’s a bad situation that’s gone on for a long time on this site. Any mention of MCD here years ago would have moderators in a total panic attack with everything shut down.
But sure it’s only the integrity of a very important run up to a real state exam. All Q’s can be leaked here. Everyone can get inflated grades. What good is that? A teaching forum that screws teachers good work over. Nearly as efficient as the teacher unions.

Presuming the dig about 'former teachers' is at me...

My role as a moderator is to enforce the forum's charter.
I do not decide what posters post.
Do not presume to know what I think about the mocks threads. You have no idea.
Report posts if you have an issue with them.

Teacher0101 · 12-02-2016 1:02am

Are moderator's never allowed give an opinion? Just wondering.

How can I report posts regarding students leaking what's on papers? And what is the procedure? Who makes a decision as to whether the processes of doing that is OK or not?

Thanks.

mirrorwall14 · 12-02-2016 4:24am

I've really only spotted the extent of it this year and I actually have to agree. The thread has way past hints as to what's on, there is detailed information and in many cases almost exact information.

If you put 'mocks 2016' into google the very first link is to this thread. I know students may get info in other ways but this is making it ridiculously easy to cheat. If they had to hunt even a little they may think the better of it.

spurious · 12-02-2016 10:13am

It has been reported and the decision is with the local mods.

If it comes to a Cat Mod decision, I will have to pass it over as it's well known I am very 'anti' the thread. The other Cat Mod would have to decide.

RealJohn · 15-02-2016 12:52am

Why would your being anti the thread mean you should pass it over? Frankly, given how quickly things get locked on boards.ie, I'm surprised you don't have the authority just to lock it anyway. Threads get locked for far less than facilitating the distribution of copyrighted material for the purposes of cheating on school exams.

mirrorwall14 · 15-02-2016 6:16pm

Actually many forums won't help you with homework as far as I know (like the legal forum etc) so this seems rather out of line with boards generally

mirrorwall14 · 24-02-2016 4:00pm

Any update on this for next year?

toratora · 04-03-2016 8:16pm

I believe if schools put pressure on the two companies involved to give an A,B and C option for each the different exams then that would be six papers in existence schools could then choose which paper they want. Students would have a one in six chance rather than present one in two chance. Our school with 120 sixth years pays out over 10k in fees to these companies . If we all put pressure on they would have to listen

mirrorwall14 · 04-03-2016 9:39pm

This came up at our staff meeting. School management are going to put pressure on the companies. At the very least they should print the three years of previous papers in any given year to avoid this situation. There was discussion about bothering at all when they are so widely available, writing our own and syncing the local mock timetables

evolving_doors · 05-03-2016 2:31am

The only thing you're getting from the mocks really is just the template. The rest you can come up with yourself. I prefer to create the test to suit what I think my students need to (or should) have focused on! Takes a shed load of time though.

mirrorwall14 · 05-03-2016 5:04pm

Gebgbegb wrote: »

The only thing you're getting from the mocks really is just the template. The rest you can come up with yourself. I prefer to create the test to suit what I think my students need to (or should) have focused on! Takes a shed load of time though.

Yeah, project maths in particular. Could have thrown a paper for the old course together easily enough but wouldn't be confident in the wordy nature of project maths

MrJones1973 · 11-03-2016 1:47pm

When you have only two companies producing mock papers and differing mock times-leaks are inevitable. I wouldn't worry where they are leaked as they will be leaked even by teachers. So we can cry over split milk and tut tut but in the end unless there is more companies and common scheduling shutting down an odd thread wont change anything.

I can see the day coming when schools will set their own exam and correct

Mocks threads in JC/LC forums

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