2015 Exam Feedback

[PJW]

I am a bit more surprised if there wasn't any question on the topic of aspect sequence in mod3, although it would not have surprised me for there to have been a more common type of written question that did not have a layout or ask for a chart to be produced; there have been some hints from the examiners over the last couple of years that it might go that way.  However they have made clear that there is no guaranteed question, so if it was actually entirely absent then students can't claim they weren't warned.

 Having now had a chance to look at the mod3 paper, I was actually surprised how MANY questions related to aspect sequence in some way.
Q2 (partial): Information which drivers receive from lineside.
Q3 (primary): Discussion of proposed signalling using novel aspect colour combinations
Q9 (partial): Boundary of two distinct forms of signalling 
So no layout sketch, no explicit requirement to draw aspect sequence chart; however area of syllabus was covered. Hence very much in line with my interpretation of what was said at the exam review earlier in the year.

Peter did you happen to get a look at the Mod 1 exam?? Your opinion would be good??

Also I was looking for my name the the IRSE news and no exam results were published.

Yes I did have a brief look at Mod1. I didn't think that the wording was that very different to usual, but perhaps there was more use of the word "you" than usual, so it may be that there has been some application of the "Plain English" campaign guidelines.
However the thing that most caught my eye was the question about the set of points that were not locked when they should have been owing to an error within vintage electronic interlocking data that had recently been modified.  Very certain I know which set of points provoked that particular question- been there, done that, got the tee-shirt. Perhaps someone was wanting to get some ideas about how we could have reacted better in that particular situation.


Are you saying that the 2014 results were never published in IRSE News or that the results were published but your name was omitted from them?

I'll be home tomorrow night so I may have the chance to go through the backnumbers myself then.