ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the reliability in the wider sense of equivalence, or comparability as it is sometimes called, between other aspects of public examinations. If, however, subjects are closely related, most of the objections to the use of reference tests and subject pairs carry less weight. In England and Wales comparisons of standards between subjects, whether by reference tests or internal standardization such as subject pairs analysis, serve as one of many pieces of information on the basis of which subject committees and examiners may adjust their standards in future examinations. The South Australian system for achieving comparability of standards between subjects resembles the subject pairs analysis outlined above. The constraint of time alone would allow the application of the reference test or the rigorously controlled cross-moderation exercises; and subject pairs analysis is unlikely to have validity because of the small number of candidates taking any one Mode III scheme.
