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I am amazed at the straightforwardness of Adrian Furnham's study, which concludes that students with high IQ scores preferred unseen, timed exams ("Plodders prefer coursework, study finds", September 2).

Why should this surprise anyone when IQ tests themselves are unseen, timed exams? This is like saying that people with fast-twitch muscles are better sprinters. But you would never take these observations so far as to claim that sprinters are the best athletes.

Students have a variety of abilities; institutions should use a range of techniques to develop and reward all abilities.

David Owen
University of the West of England students' union