Changing the common papers

I was asked a question about the possibility of changing the provincial question paper to suit the school needs, which immediately prompted me to write this post.

In the first place, because the paper is written by so many schools in the province, changing a section or even a question in it might inadvertently disadvantage learners in all the other schools attempting the original paper.

In the second place, so deep into the academic year, we should be honest: if we did not teach the content in full, it is kind of really late to patch, unless we talk about revision. Conversely, changing a paper to make it “more difficult” will rather give the other schools’ learners an edge over your children. Do you really need it?..

Finally, there is no procedure to be followed which can justify such changes in the context of any common examination. It is “common” per definition.