English test

It is disappointing to see that the English National exams for high school students (UAN) contains spelling mistakes, incorrect answers and answers that are correct but marked wrong.

The 2003 UAN English exam contains 60 multiple choice questions, of which 11 can contain an alternative answer (that is marked incorrect) or incorrect answer, e.g. "read to newspapers" is marked correct, whereas "subscribe to newspapers" is marked as incorrect.

What amazes me is the fact that there are many native English speakers working as professional English teachers in Indonesia, as well as many Indonesian English experts whose English skills are excellent.

Why doesn't a national exam have correct answers and why can't the exam be proofread by experts; at least one expert?

Students take the national exams very seriously. Shouldn't the educational authorities also?

MARK OGILVIE, Jakarta