I took quite a lot of notes last night; the IRSE was not recording the Exam Review by video or audio, but Christine was there also taking notes so I guess the official minutes will appear eventually. I aim to get my unofficial notes posted here within the week.
However the immediate headlines:
1. Module 1 exam for 2012 will follow the format of 2011; there now needs to be a period of stability following the recent changes.
2. Module 2 exam for 2012 will follow the format of 2011 and indeed has been unchanged for many years. However the examiners did undertake to consider the situation for candidates from railways which do not have lines with the level of capacity that is usually requested . This may be advice regarding what they should do re the braking and headway portion of the question, or potentially may be by provision of another blank layout (in addition to the current "Mainline" and "Metro") more appropriate to that kind of railway.
3. Module 3 exam for 2012 will also follow the format of 2012; in particular the same IRSE blank format control tables will be available in 2012- these were used by some 50 percent of candidates, with the remainder bringing in their own which will also continue to be permitted, however with the additional stipulation that SUCH BLANKS MUST NOT INDICATE ANY COMPANY AFFILIATION which could inadvertantly give clues to the identity of the candidate.
However the examiners did indicate that they would be prepared to discuss the possibility of making the layout provided for the Control Tables less UK mainline specific, or possibly providing an alternative one to suit candidates from elsewhere should there be a significant number of applicants from a specific railway administration.
4. Modules 4,6,7 will similarly remain of unchanged format.
5. Modules 5 will remain of broadly unchanged format BUT
CANDIDATES ARE ADVISED TO COVER THE ENTIRE SYLLABUS AND NOT RELY THAT PARTICULAR QUESTIONS THAT HAVE TRADITIONALLY BEEN SET WILL APPEAR EVERY YEAR.
In particular the numbers of answers to the TC calculation and level crossing questions in 2011 were very high, suggesting that candidates have focussed their studies mainly on these limited areas rather than being capable of addressing questions over a significant range of the syllabus. It therefore seems likely that the examiners will omit at least one of these questions in the 2012 exam; the advice was very clear- make sure that your preparation for the exam is sufficiently wide that you still have a decent choice of questions whould neither of these "regular bankers" feature.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED IN PLENTY OF TIME!
However the immediate headlines:
1. Module 1 exam for 2012 will follow the format of 2011; there now needs to be a period of stability following the recent changes.
2. Module 2 exam for 2012 will follow the format of 2011 and indeed has been unchanged for many years. However the examiners did undertake to consider the situation for candidates from railways which do not have lines with the level of capacity that is usually requested . This may be advice regarding what they should do re the braking and headway portion of the question, or potentially may be by provision of another blank layout (in addition to the current "Mainline" and "Metro") more appropriate to that kind of railway.
3. Module 3 exam for 2012 will also follow the format of 2012; in particular the same IRSE blank format control tables will be available in 2012- these were used by some 50 percent of candidates, with the remainder bringing in their own which will also continue to be permitted, however with the additional stipulation that SUCH BLANKS MUST NOT INDICATE ANY COMPANY AFFILIATION which could inadvertantly give clues to the identity of the candidate.
However the examiners did indicate that they would be prepared to discuss the possibility of making the layout provided for the Control Tables less UK mainline specific, or possibly providing an alternative one to suit candidates from elsewhere should there be a significant number of applicants from a specific railway administration.
4. Modules 4,6,7 will similarly remain of unchanged format.
5. Modules 5 will remain of broadly unchanged format BUT
CANDIDATES ARE ADVISED TO COVER THE ENTIRE SYLLABUS AND NOT RELY THAT PARTICULAR QUESTIONS THAT HAVE TRADITIONALLY BEEN SET WILL APPEAR EVERY YEAR.
In particular the numbers of answers to the TC calculation and level crossing questions in 2011 were very high, suggesting that candidates have focussed their studies mainly on these limited areas rather than being capable of addressing questions over a significant range of the syllabus. It therefore seems likely that the examiners will omit at least one of these questions in the 2012 exam; the advice was very clear- make sure that your preparation for the exam is sufficiently wide that you still have a decent choice of questions whould neither of these "regular bankers" feature.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED IN PLENTY OF TIME!
PJW