Future of exams: all Star Trek and holodecks?

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. Dimi…

Exam marking: planting seeds to hit the mark

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 lang…

Exam rules: investigations integral to integrity

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.

Creating assessments: taking stock and setting mocks

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 Sc…

Writing questions: setting the setting

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 a…

Assessment: exercising validity and re-visioning resits

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 ho…

Standardisation: super-standardise me

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 Harla…

Reviewing assessments: a date with data

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 hi…

Series two trailer

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 po…

One man. One seventh of England.

What is a relationship manager? How can they help you review the past exam series and prepare for the coming year?  AQA’s Nick Sandeman talks through how many schools he visits in a day, what data he can provide you with, and why you’re bound to get more out of a friendly face to face chat than a …