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Added: Thursday, 5 November, 2009, 10:59 GMT 10:59 UK

Why ever not. Students would have to be literate and intelligent to use the net. They would need analytical skills to decide which facts they needed to find in order to answer the set questions. It makes
much more sense than an exam that asks for ticked boxes.
And think of the rain forests that it would save.

[possumpam], London, United Kingdom

Added: Thursday, 5 November, 2009, 10:45 GMT 10:45 UK

"Should students be allowed to use the internet in exams?"
Why not? If exam passes are required to get a job then use all means possible to get an exam pass.

"Is this a good way to test knowledge?"
Nope.

"How important is the internet in education?"
Not as important as sound and accurate teaching.

Anyway - much so-called education is just indoctrination.
Only useful for those who live in fear of not fitting in to an indoctrinated society.

Irrational fear, that ...

[intbel]

Added: Thursday, 5 November, 2009, 10:21 GMT 10:21 UK

Why should they have exams? Now a days you can find every subject on inrenet and also you can hire people to give you all the help, you want.
ay be they will find diggerent type of exams, who knows..

vinod patel

Added: Thursday, 5 November, 2009, 09:38 GMT 09:38 UK

"Will this give them an unfair advantage over other students?" you ask. No, quite the opposite, for the person who has developed their own mental faculties and who can think, recall facts and calculate, etc., without a computer, has the true advantage. If civilization comes to an end, it will not be web-surfers who will get things going again.

[dudeiancan]

Added: Thursday, 5 November, 2009, 09:35 GMT 09:35 UK

It will not increase the students ability - it might help him at the moment required, but I persoanlly think this is failing the student by the teachers if they believe that the internet is the way foward

robert lowe, St Petersburg, Russia

Added: Thursday, 5 November, 2009, 09:30 GMT 09:30 UK

I think it is fair enough.

Shazib Khan, Lahore, Pakistan

Added: Thursday, 5 November, 2009, 08:57 GMT 08:57 UK

If you had used your critical brain instead of "knowledge" from the internet, you would know that "jet fuel cannot melt steel in 2 hours."

Allowing pupils to sift through the rubbish to get the facts is the right way to go.

jeff phua

hmm..

Should students be allowed to use the internet in exams?

nope, can't see the bit where it says 'please send us your conspiracy theories'.

Darkseid Jones

Added: Thursday, 5 November, 2009, 08:51 GMT 08:51 UK

Why not do without exams completely, and just throw diplomas/exam passes in the air and see who can catch them?

This kind of policy is unfair on those students who are able to master their subject and are able to commit the necessary knowledge to memory. It loads the dice in favour of the less-able, without adding any value to those who are at the top of their class. How are prospective employers supposed to tell who is capable and who just knows how to use a search engine?

David Hazel, Birmingham, United Kingdom

Added: Thursday, 5 November, 2009, 08:43 GMT 08:43 UK

Why don't they just use their mobiles phones. To ring a friend with all the answers.....................their school friend sitting in the front row. The one who has finished their exam 15 minutes before everyone else. And who is more than willing to share answers with their partner. And text their way through an exam.

Hey no. Why don't they just cheat !

Smile !

Nick D, S/Shields

Why not just email the answers to your friend at a small fee!

Shaida Van Helfteren, Corwen, United Kingdom

Added: Thursday, 5 November, 2009, 08:33 GMT 08:33 UK

I still remember books of log tables when I was a boy!
[Vic-Venture]

Do you use them much in everyday life?

russell, somerset

Added: Thursday, 5 November, 2009, 08:12 GMT 08:12 UK

There are many professional exams which allow an “open book” practice, so long as in order to pass the exam actual learning is required, I see no problem. What we have in this country is that most, if not all, pre-university courses are structured in a way which allows the exams to be passed without really understanding the subject matter.This is useless,hence why most employers take little notice of pre-university education & even universities are now starting to conduct their own entrance exam

Bob Todd

Added: Thursday, 5 November, 2009, 07:56 GMT 07:56 UK

It has a place in carefully designed exam questions designed to show that pupils have learned how to find, ascimilate and verify information, to acknowledge sources and to not plagurise.

However, to use it cart-blanche to find the answer would be just plain STUPID. I'm sure that I could show my genius and 'prove' E = MC2 if I could just find someone else's proof on the internet!

Also, the internet cannot be seen as an authoritative and unbiased source. Kids must learn this.

pb, hants

Added: Thursday, 5 November, 2009, 07:36 GMT 07:36 UK

EE-by-gum, when I wer' a lad we had t' add up in our 'eds.

Ken addison

Good job because calculator batteries cease to work after a time. How much better to be able to use your brain!

Geoff Bone, Stockton-on-Tees, United Kingdom

Added: Thursday, 5 November, 2009, 07:21 GMT 07:21 UK

I come from a Unix operating system background. One of the first things we were taught was that you weren't expected to know everything about Unix (a compilcated operating system for newbies); you were expected to know how to *find* the answer. Computers and the internet are modern tools that simply have to be mastered. Luddites (or librarians-with-horn-rimmed-glasses) whining that 'it shouldn't be allowed' simply show a lack of understanding of the expectations of modern commerce and industry.

R Martin, London

Added: Thursday, 5 November, 2009, 07:12 GMT 07:12 UK

The idea of "think more, learn pure facts less" is not bad,however,this is too much.Students must have some basic level of factual knowledge or..."What do you know about WWII student?Who fought,who won...?" "Oh,the wi-fi signal is too weak,I can´t log on. Ask me tomorow, teacher".

Martin Straka, Prague, Czech Rep.