Inside Exams

What is the future of assessment? How big a part will technology play? And what headway is already being made? Craig Barton speaks to Ben Stafford, AQA’s head of assessment design, and head of research and development Ruth Johnson about the strategies that might be considered for future exams. Dimitrios Georgalis is a maths teacher at Leeds City College, and Darren Coogan is curriculum Lead for GCSE Maths at Peterborough Regional College, they tell Craig how they use innovative technologies in the classroom.

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How does online marking of exam papers work? What processes make marking is accurate and consistent? And what tools are markers given to ensure quality control? Pete Hawcroft, AQA’s head of marking, tells Craig Barton how each question paper is marked. Craig also meets Juliet Park, director of languages for a West Yorkshire trust. She discusses innovative alternatives to traditional classroom marking.

Take a look at the most common marking myths: https://store.aqa.org.uk/content/inside-exams/AQA-INSIDE-EXAMS-S2-EP7-MYTHBUSTING.PDF

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How is malpractice investigated? And how can school staff and students help in the process? Bill Johnston and Lalita Handford are both exams integrity leads at AQA; they talk through how potential cases of malpractice reach them, who investigates, and what kind of resolutions cases can come to.

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Who writes exam questions? And how does the process ensure the integrity of exams? Craig Barton talks to AQA’s Assessment Banking Manager Oli Woodfield, and Engagement and Communications Lead Jenni Midgley about how question papers are created. Ellie Upton is a science teacher at Chace Community School in Enfield; she explains how her team creates robust mock exams.

Visit Exampro to find out more about creating tests from previous question papers: https://www.exampro.co.uk

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Why are some exam questions written in context? And how do writers make sure those contexts won’t advantage certain students over others? Mike, one of AQA’s Lead Assessment Writers for GCSE Physics, tells Craig Barton how he comes up with interesting contexts, and Laurie Luscombe, a maths teacher at The Blue Coat School in Oldham, explains how he cleverly teaches them in the classroom.

The British Library teaching resources: https://www.bl.uk/teaching-resources

20 ideas for enriching students' cultural capital: https://www.teachitenglish.co.uk/resources/ks3/20-teaching-ideas-for/planning-and-assessment/20-ideas-for-enriching-students-cultural-capital/35070

The National Theatre teaching resources: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/learning/schools/secondary-and-fe/resources

The National Portrait Gallery teaching resources: https://www.npg.org.uk/learning/digital

Science Museum teaching resources: https://learning-resources.sciencemuseum.org.uk/resources/?keystage=ks4

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What makes an assessment valid? What factors can undermine that validity? And how do exams validly assess the whole grade range 1-9? Craig Barton gets the answers from AQA’s Director of Assessment and Curriculum Dave Mellor. Plus, Julia Smith, a teacher trainer and former maths teacher, explores how to motivate and prepare students for resits.

Our tips for avoiding common pitfalls in exams: https://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/mathematics/AQA-8300-POSTER-TIPS.PDF

Post-16 one year resit seminar: https://www.aqa.org.uk/resources/mathematics/gcse/mathematics-8300/plan/prepare-to-teach-post-16-one-year-resit-webinar

National numeracy video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDP-ZYAxFbs&feature=youtu.be

Basic skills questions (All About Maths): https://allaboutmaths.aqa.org.uk/basicskillsquestions

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What is standardisation? How are examiners trained to mark exams? And should we be standardising our own marking in the classroom and within departments? Craig Barton learns about the standardisation process with Ian White, AQA’s preparation and support manager, and preparation coordinator Jo Harland. Plus, former head of English Ryan Wilson explains how he feels marking class work differs from marking assessments.

Improve your marking with teacher online standardisation: https://www.aqa.org.uk/inside-exams-podcasts/series-2-episode-2/improve-your-marking-with-teacher-online-standardisation

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How do exam boards review their assessments? When do reviews happen? And what kind of amendments are made for future exams? To help answer some of these questions, Craig Barton talks to Georgina, AQA’s assessment design manager, chair of examiners for biology Michelle, and head of curriculum for history Eoin. Louisa Cotterill, Alcester Academy’s head of humanities, then looks at the ways data can be used to monitor classroom progress throughout the year.

How we create question papers: https://store.aqa.org.uk/content/inside-exams/AQA-INSIDE-EXAMS-S2-E1-QP.PDF

How we continuously improve our assessments: https://store.aqa.org.uk/content/inside-exams/AQA-INSIDE-EXAMS-S2-E1-CI.PDF

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Teacher Craig Barton is back with series two of Inside Exams, the podcast that gives you an access all areas pass to snoop around behind the scenes at AQA. He’ll be meeting the people who write and mark your students’ exams, as well as pioneering teachers, to get answers to all the questions you ponder throughout the school day.

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