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  3. Each autumn, teachers spend many hours writing references in support of their pupils’ university applications, and university ad

Each autumn, teachers spend many hours writing references in support of their pupils’ university applications, and university ad

admin2010-02-26  43
问题     Each autumn, teachers spend many hours writing references in support of their pupils’ university applications, and university admissions tutors subsequently spend many hours reading them. Indeed, the official advice is that when there are more qualified applicants than can be accommodated, or when applicants’ suitability for professions is being assessed, admissions staff should consider "additional information, including references". The pressure to widen access has brought us to the point where references are hardly worth the paper they are written on. Of course, some applicants’ results may not do them justice and will not therefore be an accurate predictor of future achievement. However, the almost total absence of anything but positive comments makes it impossible to distinguish between such applicants and those for whom higher education may be a step too far.
    It is the same story with access courses, which provide ma opportunity for those who left school without qualifications to develop their confidence and study skills. Not all access students will be able to achieve a higher education qualification, but I cannot recall one who was not predicated by his or her access tutor to pass with flying colors and be an ideal candidate for higher education. Taking up referees’ invitations to contact them for more information, in the hope that this may indicate that they are wishing to say something they are not prepared to write, rarely proves fruitful. I am repeatedly told that they are "not free to talk", or they express discomfort at being asked for specific information. "I’m sure you see how difficult it is for me", "I don’t really know her that well" and "I rather wish you hadn’t asked me that" are among the most common responses.
    Even university tutors are overstating the truth. One stated that an applicant had "gained passed in four modules and then decided to leave the course". Further inquiry revealed that he, and another who "came to the view that teaching was not for her", both left because they had failed. I also suspect that the student who "has many skills and qualities that, unfortunately, are not easily demonstrable through our system of academic assessment" was heading in a similar direction. If a pupil, has "faced the challenge of A-level work", is he or she rising to it or not? This is like trying to communicate in an unfamiliar language. Since in most cases we cannot establish what is meant, let us abandon the whole system of academic references for university entry and save us all the time and effort.
The intent to get more information from referees is always ______.
选项
答案unfruitful
解析 因此，空白处应该填positive comments。
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