LETTERS
From Professor Antony Flew, W. E. Prickett, Richard Storry, Elka Schrifver, Gay Firth, L. Clarke, Alfred Sherman, Dr Israel Shahak, Thomas Pakenham Sir: Your contributor, Professor Anthony King, writes ('Spectator's notebook', 6 June): 'The other day I was marking the project of a student I had never heard of: he has never been in one of my classes and I don't know him personally. But there the evidence was on paper: he was absolutely first-class, someone I would have recom- mended without hesitation for graduate work or to an employer looking for certain qualities of intellect. It is the sort of thing that makes it all worthwhile'.
Splendid it is to read absolutely first-class work; and I hate to say anything which may mar the satisfaction of a fellow university teacher. But just how does Mr King know that the man he is prepared to recommend on the basis of this excellent work, who has never been in one of his classes, and whom he does not know personally, did in fact originate that work, especially since, on Mr King's own account, these are 'pieces of work ... which they have done on their own largely Without supervision'?
Three-hour examinations are, of course, square, old-fashioned, and untrendy. Still they can have the square and untrendy merit of making it at least very difficult to cheat. And a lot of first-class work is done in such examinations too.
Antony Flew (Professor) University of Keele, Keele, Staffordshire
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