Thinking this through in advance can make it considerably easier to assign partial credit when you do the actual grading. For example, if a short answer question involves four discrete components, assigning a point value that is divisible by four makes grading easier. Creating objective test questions Creating objective test questions – such as multiple-choice questions – can be difficult, but here are some general rules to remember that complement the strategies in the previous section. Write objective test questions so that there is one and only one best answer. Word questions clearly and simply, avoiding double negatives, idiomatic language, and absolutes such as “never” or “always.” Test only a single idea in each item. Make sure wrong answers (distractors) are plausible. Incorporate common student errors as distractors. Make sure the position of the correct answer (e.g., A, B, C, D) varies randomly from item to item. Include from three to five options for each item. Make sure the length of response items is roughly the same for each question. Keep the length of response items short. Make sure there are no grammatical clues to the correct answer (e.g., the use of “a” or “an” can tip the test-taker off to an answer beginning with a vowel or consonant). Format the exam so that response options are indented and in column form. In multiple choice questions, use positive phrasing in the stem, avoiding words like “not” and “except.” If this is unavoidable, highlight the negative words (e.g., “Which of the following is NOT an example of…?”). Avoid overlapping alternatives. Avoid using “All of the above” and “None of the above” in responses. (In the case of “All of the above,” students only need to know that two of the options are correct to answer the question. Conversely, students only need to eliminate one response to eliminate “All of the above” as an answer. Similarly, when “None of the above” is used as the correct answer choice, it tests students’ ability to detect incorrect answers, but not whether they know the correct answer.) plans for next year’s A-level and GCSE cohorts (Students in England to get notice of topics after Covid disruption, 3 December). They do nothing to address the fundamental weakness in our education system, which is the underachievement of disadvantaged pupils compared with those from advantaged backgrounds. The pandemic has widened the differences between the two groups. Pupils in private schools have much better distance-learning provision if they are unable to attend. Advantaged pupils in state schools have access to computers and broadband and to places where they can study at home. The government’s promise to ensure all pupils have access to distance learning is another broken one. The measures announced – advance warning of topics, taking aids into exams, contingency papers for those suffering any disruption during the exam period – will all favour advantaged pupils. John Gaskin Bainton,
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East Riding of Yorkshire The secretary of state is putting forward changes to the 2021 examinations in the vain attempt to make them “fair” despite the inevitable impossibility of doing so given the variations in students’ Covid-related exposure to teaching and learning. The professional associations seem to have accepted this unsatisfactory fudged situation. Do they not have faith in their members’ professional judgments? Why attempt the impossible and possibly have to U-turn eventually, so creating yet more stress for teachers and students? Why not rely, as in 2020, on moderated teacher assessments, given that universities and colleges have not raised any outcry about teaching the students assessed in that way? One answer: this rightwing government does not trust teachers and is obsessed with the “GCSE and A-level gold standards” despite a lack of professional consensus on the reliability of externally set, unseen, timed examinations as the sole means of assessing students’ performance. Prof Colin Richards Former HM inspector of schools Throughout the examination results fiasco earlier this year, the education secretary parroted the same mantra that end-of-course exams are the best system of measuring learning. He frequently added that this view was “widely accepted”. He has never told us why he holds this view or to which evidence he is referring. In fact, there is considerable evidence stretching back 40 years that various forms of continuous assessment and coursework give a better and fairer guide to pupils’ abilities. At a time when so many pupils have had severely disrupted education and those in deprived areas are likely to have suffered most from lack of continuity, surely it is sensible to let hard evidence take precedence over political dogma. Ever since a Conservative government under Margaret Thatcher started denigrating the concept of teacher-assessed coursework, until Michael Gove finally abolished GCSE coursework in 2013, there has been a common thread to such attacks, namely the unfounded myth that teachers cannot be trusted. England’s exam regulator Ofqual was riven by uncertainty and in-fighting with the Department for Education before this year’s A-level and GCSE results, with the government publishing new policies in the middle of an Ofqual board meeting that had been called to discuss them. Minutes of Ofqual’s board meetings reveal the regulator was aware that its process for assessing A-level and GCSE grades was unreliable before results were published, even as Ofqual was publicly portraying its methods as reliable and fair. The minutes also show repeated interventions by the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, and the DfE, with the two bodies clashing over Williamson’s demand that Ofqual allow pupils to use the results of mock exams as grounds for appeal against their official grades. Williamson told about flaws in A-level model two weeks before results Read more Ofqual’s board held 23 emergency meetings from April onwards.
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As the publication of A-level
results on 13 August drew near the board met in marathon sessions, some running
until late at night, as controversy erupted over the grades awarded by its
statistical model being used to replace exams. Williamson wanted the regulator
to allow much wider grounds for appeal, and on 11 August Ofqual’s board heard
that the education secretary had suggested pupils should instead be awarded
their school-assessed grades or be allowed to use mock exam results if they
were higher. Ofqual offered to replace its grades with “unregulated” unofficial
result certificates based on school or exam centre assessments, but that was
rejected by Williamson. Negotiations over the use of mock exams continued into
the evening of 11 August. In the middle of the day’s second emergency meeting
the board discovered that the DfE had gone over its head with an announcement
that “was widely reported in the media while this meeting was still in
session”. The meeting ended close to midnight. During the controversy, Ofqual
published and then abruptly retracted policies on the use of mock exam grades
the weekend after A-level results were published, with three separate emergency
meetings held that Sunday. Shortly after, Ofqual backed down and scrapped its
grades in favour of those assessed by schools for both A-levels and GCSEs. The
minutes show that Ofqual had serious doubts about the statistical process it
used to award grades, with a meeting on 4 August hearing that the board was “very
concerned about the prospect of some students, in particular so-called
outliers, being awarded unreliable results”. Advertisement The board’s members
“accepted reluctantly that there was no valid and defensible way to deal with
this pre-results”. But despite the board’s doubts, Ofqual officials continued
to insist in public that its results would be reliable. Roger Taylor, the
Ofqual chair, wrote in a newspaper article on 9 August that “students will get
the best estimate that can be made of the grade they would have achieved if
exams had gone ahead.” Ofqual also issued a statement on 10 August saying it
wanted to “reassure students that the arrangements in place this summer are the
fairest possible”. 'Plan B' for rigorous mock exams to avoid rerun of A-level
fiasco Read more Separate details of meetings held between the DfE and Ofqual –
obtained under a freedom of information request by Schools Week – show that
Williamson met Ofqual twice in the two days before A-level results came out.
Williamson held 10 meetings with Ofqual to discuss the 2020 results from March
until A-levels were published on 13 August, while the schools minister, Nick
Gibb, attended 16 meetings. The records also show that DfE officials held 55
meetings with Ofqual specifically to discuss the summer’s exam results.
THE PURPOSE OF EXAMS We all remember the exam period in schools. The daunting experience of entering the examination hall, finding your name on the exam desk and taking a seat with a booklet with blank paper and unknown questions. The sweaty hand palms and sickness feeling that seems to have made you forget everything that you have been revising for over the last previous few weeks (or in my case few days, I have always been a bit last minute). In all those years of school, college and university I always wondered what the main purpose was for exams. What would this stress achieve later in our lives? Luckily I am able to look into all this and finally learn that the stressful weeks truly are beneficial. “Exams have an important role in the process of learning and in the whole educational institution.” Exams and tests are a great way to assess what the students have learned with regards to particular subjects. Exams will show what part of the lesson each student seems to have taken the most interest in and has remembered. With every pupil being so individual, exams are also a great way for teachers to find out more about the students themselves. The test environment comes with added stress, which allows teachers to work out how their students argue and how they think individually by their works, which is a great attribute for them to keep in mind for future class activities. ExamRoom1 Strengths and weaknesses can also be assessed through exams. The teachers will be able to understand where more attention in class may be needed when teaching the particular subject. A pattern of weaknesses may be apparent when marking the works. This is where mock tests are a great technique to use when teaching before the formal examinations. This will give students and teachers the opportunity to understand where their weaknesses may be, in time for the preparation of the formal exam. This will give them all the chance to ensure that they are able to achieve the best of their abilities in class, thus helping them in the future. School becomes more demanding as you get older. As you grow as a person, you also do as a student and the school curriculum becomes more demanding. Exams allow higher education establishments to assess whether the students applying are going to be able to deal with the work demand. Although this idea of “ranking students capability based on grades” seems harsh, it is an easier way for them to assess the students’ potential, which becomes even more important with regards to higher education establishments. ExamResults The exam process is beneficial to the school in regards to assessing where faculties and particular classes need more focus or resources. Schools need to ensure that they are offering students the best that they are able to and exams are a great technique to use to monitor the progress and effectiveness of that particular class. School administrators can see where improvement may be needed within the school, college or university based on the students’ grades. Studies have shown that a “happier class has higher grades” so a pattern of similar average results may indicate the motivation that a particular class may have or not. After reading about all the benefits and advantages gained, it just goes to show that the stress, pulling my hair out was all worth it in the long run. I have found my strengths and weaknesses, applying them to where I am now. I am starting to realise that the age old saying “school is the best days of your life” could actually be true…Guide to School Examinations for Parents and Students Whether you are thinking of pursuing higher studies or planning for your future career, it is likely that you will be competing in a global market.
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This intense competition means universities and employers expect candidates to have a solid educational foundation, demonstrated by recognizable and renowned qualifications. UK qualifications provide this recognition. With more than 50 years of experience in administering school exams worldwide, the British Council works in partnership with UK awarding bodies, Cambridge International Examinations & Edexcel International to deliver UK qualifications on their behalf in Pakistan. We create opportunity for nearly a half a million people every year worldwide to achieve their life goals by obtaining UK qualifications. British Council offers its services from offices in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi and has a network of over 500 associated schools. It conducts exams at more than 100 venues throughout Pakistan. UK school qualifications are split into two levels. General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), International GCSE (IGCSE) or Ordinary Level (O Level) qualifications are taken at around the age of 16. The General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (A Level) or International A Level qualifications are typically taken at 18. If you want to know more about the Schools Examination, please download the Guide to School Examination for Parents and Students. University students are being recruited to mark some GCSE and A-level papers this summer, the Guardian has learned. AQA, the UK’s largest provider of academic qualifications, is inviting “postgraduates and undergraduates who have completed their first year of studies” in theology, philosophy and economics to undergo assessments in January and February, as part of a new pilot scheme. “Those who are successful will have the opportunity to join our community of examiners,” the job advertisements state. The students are being recruited “with the view to marking ... exams in the summer of 2021”. Two adverts have appeared on the King’s College London careers and vacancy website, under the headings “GCSE religious studies examiner” and “A-level economics examiner”. One says: “We are seeking theology, religion and philosophy experts to mark our GCSE exams ... If successful, you will be able to mark the Christianity paper from our GCSE [religious studies] specification.” The other advert reveals AQA is looking for “economics experts” to mark “either paper 1 or paper 2” of its A-level economics exam. All of these papers include long-form essay questions. The GCSE Christianity paper can determine half of a candidate’s religious studies GCSE grade while each A-level economics paper is usually worth a third of an A-level. An ad seeking students to help mark the Christianity paper in GCSE religious studies An ad seeking students to help mark the Christianity paper in GCSE religious studies. “I would be concerned about the lack of experience of these young people in this marking experiment at any time,” said Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union.
“But this year, when our students are going to need fairness in their exams more than any other, because of the difficulties of the pandemic, I don’t think this is the right year to carry out this experiment.” He added: “We’re talking about religious studies and economics, where there could be more questions of judgment than on some other papers. It really doesn’t seem sensible.” Helen Webb, AQA’s resourcing and talent manager, said the board was doing a “very small and very controlled pilot as we look to expand our pool of expert examiners in certain subjects”. There are some subjects and topics, she said, where it is “always a challenge to recruit enough good examiners. So we have to be open-minded if we want students to get their results on time and all our marking to be high quality.” She said the pilot would “probably involve around 50 people” out of its 30,000-plus examiners. “They’ll receive training and have to pass two different tests before they’re allowed to do any real marking – and anyone allowed to mark real student answers will be constantly monitored in real time, to make sure they’re doing it well. If not, they’ll be stopped.” It is not yet clear what proportion of AQA’s 10m exam scripts the examiners in the pilot will be asked to mark. An experienced AQA economics examiner, who has been teaching economics A-level for 15 years, told the Guardian that AQA usually started off new economics markers with 100 scripts each. AQA said the focus of its pilot would be on graduates and postgraduates, but it is also “interested in assessing some undergraduates as well to see how they perform”. The exam board has used PhD and PGCE students (postgraduates who are training to be teachers) in the past and claims their marking has been “as good as that of new examiners who are qualified teachers”. Research carried out by AQA and the University of Bristol in 2010 found that overall, undergraduates could mark part-scripts as accurately – but not as consistently – as existing GCSE English examiners, although there were some undergraduates who marked as well as the best examiners. An ad to take part in marking economics papers .
