Fidel Gastro’s

After posing the question,”can you call your kid a swearword?”, I went to search pastures new. Being prompted by legal beagle David Marrick I went on a mission to see if you can swear in your exam paper.

The QCA, AQA, EdExcel and OCR exam boards along with the BBC Education Homepage were sent the following mail.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing a short article on Modern Slang and the effect on the Student Masses. Part of my research has led me to ask the question around how slang fits into the examination system.

If a student were to participate in a Biology Exam at the GCSE level and were to use slang instead of the correct anatomical terms in their answers to questions, would they be marked down?

For example if they consistently used the word ‘bunghole’ instead of ‘anus’, or ‘poop’ instead of faeces, would this result in the student being penalised?

Your reply is keenly awaited.

Yours

Cian Weeresinghe

The only reply back has been from the BBC stating

Many thanks for your email.

Unfortunately the information you are seeking is not contained within the BBCi site.
You may find it beneficial to contact the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) who is a guardian of standards in education and training. QCA work with others to maintain and develop the school curriculum and associated assessments, and to accredit and monitor qualifications in schools, colleges and at work.

Good luck with your research
BBCi Learning.

I will continue to probe this passage and report on any major leakages from these bodies.