Blogs on 'Assessment Research'

There are so many changes to education that it can be difficult to keep track of them all or remember what they were about. In this blog, Nicky Rushton talks about the Register of Change and the latest additions to it covering the effects of COVΙD-19 on schooling, general qualifications and vocational and technical qualifications.

All examinations contain a mix of questions that vary in how they discriminate between student ability. Providing advance information (an intervention that is intended to make certain questions on an examination easier) will affect the difficulty of questions in different ways. Tom Bramley, Director of the Research Division, asks whether providing advance information could benefit some students more than others.

A new research report published by Cambridge University Press & Assessment explores what we mean by competence. Two of three authors, Sylvia Vitello and Jackie Greatorex, explain the background to the report, what’s in it, and why clarity about what competence means is so important.

With all the work which has gone into creating our archive of thousands of assessments, that were developed using research evidence and quality assured, why don’t we just put our existing assessments on screen?

We recently reported on our research that catalogued in detail the experiences of 15 teachers based in England from diaries they were asked to keep during the first half of 2021. This blog describes how the research team set about collecting the data and sets out some of the insights the teachers provided.

Research and Thought Leadership Lead, Sarah Hughes explores, the definition of the term ‘digital’ and what that means for the future of assessment.

In the latest blog in our series on outline principles for the future of education, Tim Oates CBE, Director of Assessment Research and Development at Cambridge University Press & Assessment, challenges ‘Year Zero’ thinking in many of the discussions about future learning.

The last year and a half have seen enormous changes for education in England and the impact of the pandemic on education and assessment will continue to be felt for many years to come.

What do grades awarded during the Covid pandemic mean? And how do they compare to grades awarded in previous years?

Do you really know what A Level grades in England mean and how they are determined? And do you understand what is meant by grade inflation? In this blog, we invite you to explore these concepts with us as we attempt to minimise the mystery and provide clarity.

We have all sat exams and are familiar with the idea of having papers marked. In many cases these marks are then converted into grades, but why? This is the question we tackle in this first of four blogs in a mini-series focused on grading and standards.