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Using pounds and dollar signs in exams

J

Jinnentonix

Member
Hi there

I was reflecting upon the exam I sat in September and realised that I used dollar signs instead of pounds for all my answers (I come from Australia).

Am I going to get badly mauled in marking even if I get the answer correct and show all the correct reasoning?

Obviously, it's too late to change this but would like to know the answer anyway.
 
I never thought of that. Till now in all the exams i have appeared, i never mentioned anything about the currency in any of the answers i wrote.ARE there any negative markings for not mentioning the currency in the answers? if yes then by how much one is likely to be penalized for the mistake? .Tutors please reply.
 
I mean I could understand that if you wrote the wrong currency or no currency to an answer to a question involving foreign exchange calculations, it would be fair.

However, say you had 20 questions (i.e. Part a, b, etc of a single question count as different questions) involving numerical answers. If you lost 1/2 a mark for each question, losing 10 marks and failing purely because you used $ signs instead of pounds leaves a rather bitter taste...
 
The examiners tend to have a total paper limit on the number of marks deducted due to rounding or unit errors so I wouldn't worry too much.
 
Thanks for your reply.

On a related note, even if you pass, are you able to get feedback on why you lost marks?
 
No. Not sure why you would feel the need either. Just move on to the next subject and be happy that there is one less on the road to qualification.
 
You can pay £25 (I think) and view your script. Take the examiners solutions or ASET with you and you'll be able to work out why (the exam paper has no marks on it as they are marked electronically).

For later exams you can pay for exam counselling where you get a written report on your errors.
 
I don't understand why they don't use £ in all their exam questions? I've seen the $ creep in more and more, for some reason...
 
Exams sat all around the world now so I guess they don't feel obliged to always use £. Good test of attention to detail in a way but wouldn't want anyone failed because of it.
 
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