Blogs about 'The Assessment Network'

In this blog, former teacher and Senior Professional Development Manager at The Assessment Network, James Beadle explores cognitive offloading and how it can act as a both positive and negative force in the context of educational assessment.

Multiple-choice questions can be an incredibly useful tool in summative and formative assessments. In this blog, former teacher and Senior Professional Development Manager at The Assessment Network, James Beadle, explores the world of MCQs and how they’re not as easy as A,B,C or D.

To support those interested in validity, The Assessment Network at Cambridge has provided an overview of this topic along with a brief description of the key considerations involved with this principle of assessment and relevant areas such as validation.

With the application deadline for the Postgraduate Advanced Certificate in Educational Assessment fast approaching, now's the time to start thinking about preparing your application. Read this handy guide on what you need to consider before applying and how you can prepare for the course.

Isabelle Stevens is a recent Psychology Graduate who worked on an internship with The Assessment Network at Cambridge in 2025. Here she reflects on the projects she worked on, and how immersing herself in the world of assessment made her reconsider her assessment ‘identity’.

In this blog, Senior Professional Development Manager James Beadle reflects on why it currently feels like we are experiencing a feeling of ‘steam engine time’ with changes to the assessment landscape, and what professionals working in assessment need to keep in mind to steer our way ahead.

Heather Clements-Wheeler is a member of The Assessment Network at Cambridge and currently serves as Principal Examiner (PE) and Chair of Examiners (CoE) for two awarding organisations. Here she shares insights from her research on the implications of moving geography exams to digital screens - and how mode effects can influence outcomes, and what she finds most rewarding about her work.

Discover how The Assessment Network partnered with the Association for Project Management (APM) to enhance assessment design, improve inclusivity, and strengthen professional standards through a bespoke training and consultancy programme.

At this year’s Assessment Horizons conference, a panel of education experts explored some of the complexities and considerations around authentic assessment (and what it means), future-ready skills, and inclusive, meaningful learning experiences.

Graeme Arnott is an assessor for the Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust (SECTT), where he assesses the Final Integrated Competence Assessment (FICA) and the Approved Competence Assessment. We spoke with him about his journey from electrician to assessor, his interest in nervousness as a construct irrelevant variance, and how this can influence the validity of assessments. He also shared practical approaches to recognising and addressing its impact.

In this blog, Matthew Carroll, Senior Researcher, Cambridge University Press & Assessment, explores what assessment data can tell us about the future and the care that is required in interpreting these predictions.

In this blog, Researcher Carmen Lim explores the difference between standardised and normalised scores, explaining why understanding these scoring methods is important for accurate assessment interpretation.

How can we be sure assessments are fair and inclusive for all? At Assessment Horizons we explored some of the barriers students may experience with assessments, and heard from speakers who are championing ‘assessment for inclusion’ to ensure greater equity and better outcomes for all learners.

In this second post of a four-part series on assessment data, James Beadle, Senior Professional Development Manager, The Assessment Network, explores the important role grades continue to play in education today, as well as explaining alternative ways to report student performance.

Rebecca Dowbiggin links the ‘linguistic divide’ students may face when reading Shakespeare to the importance of clearer assessment language. She argues for a culture in which "assessment is not a mystery, but a tool for growth. Where the language of learning is one that we build together."

When we talk about ‘assessment literacy’, what do we mean beyond understanding how assessment works? And why is it important for different stakeholder groups to develop their understanding of assessment?

Data can be used to gather, interpret, and critically inform practitioners and organisations' decisions at every level of assessment. In this blog, Alejandra Miranda, Researcher at Cambridge, explores why assessment data can be more than a measure of student performance.

Psychometrics is the statistical process used to ensure that educational assessments are fair, reliable, and valid. In this blog, Dr Tom Benton and Carmen Lim, Cambridge researchers in the field, explain how psychometric methods underpin every stage of assessment.

New ambassador for The Assessment Network Paul Muir offers an insightful look into the evolving landscape of education and assessment, exploring the pressing challenges in assessment design today, while also highlighting the role that professional communities play in shaping the future of fair and inclusive assessments.

At The Assessment Network we believe in bringing together powerful knowledge and insights from assessment professionals across sectors, so we invited a range of diverse speakers at our Assessment Horizons conference in April to reflect on developments in AI and assessment.

To assist educators in improving their MCQ design for language assessment, Margaret Cooze, expert in language assessment at The Assessment Network, offers insights into common mistakes, effective strategies, and the role of the CEFR framework, along with details of her upcoming workshop series.

Cara Dinneen is the Education Manager for English Language Programs and the English Medium of Instruction Centre at Macquarie University College in Sydney, Australia. We spoke with her about her about adapting language assessments to reflect the interactive and tool-supported nature of modern academic environments, the opportunities and challenges afforded by Generative AI, and the importance of developing a community in assessment professional development.

To help you choose the most suitable learning format, The Assessment Network has created a guide to explore each option, so you can find the perfect learning pathway to enhance your assessment practice.

To support those interested in the assessment cycle, James Beadle, Senior Professional Development Manager at The Assessment Network, has provided an overview of this topic along with a brief description of the key steps involved.

In this blog by James Beadle, teacher and Senior Professional Development Manager at The Assessment Network, he suggests the reasons we assess in the classroom and the key differences between assessment of learning, assessment for learning and assessment as learning.

At Cambridge, we take pride in conducting principled assessments that meet the highest technical standards, ensuring learners from around the world have access to quality education. In this blog, The Assessment Network at Cambridge explains the six different principles of assessment.

Vikram Rajendra is a member of The Assessment Network and a current student on the Postgraduate Advanced Certificate in Educational Studies: Educational Assessment. We spoke to him about how assessment reliability and validity interact, and about the importance of aligning assessment methods with instructional goals.

Computer adaptive testing (CAT) is a form of assessment that adjusts question difficulty to match each test taker’s ability, creating more accurate and personalised evaluations. In this blog, Christopher Hubbard, Assessment Group Manager at Cambridge English, explores the key principles and benefits of CAT.

Recently, Cambridge researcher Elinor Lieber attended the British Educational Research Association (BERA)’s annual conference for the first time. In this blog, Elinor describes her experiences and details some of the key takeaways from the event.

Member of The Assessment Network, teacher and examiner Kiran Nellure talks about his 'marking journey', his curiosity to know the 'science behind assessments' and the findings of his study into teacher assessment literacy – a project he worked on to gain the Advanced Assessment Practitioner Award.

Dr Simon Child reflects on insights shared at a recent Assessment in Higher Education Conference. This blog explores some of the key themes focusing on threats and possibilities that developments in could AI bring, and how approaches like authentic assessment can be considered to mitigate against the challenges faced by the sector.

Member of The Assessment Network and assessment practitioner Desmond Parke has recently gained the Advanced Assessment Practitioner Award. He told us about his assignment, which explored how a creative approach to vocational assessment design played to the strength of his students.

Wellington College International Shanghai, holds a distinguished position in the educational landscape of China. Founded in 2014 and part of the esteemed Wellington College Family the school has quickly garnered recognition for educational excellence, preparing students for success worldwide and achieving some of the highest exam results in the region. In March 2024, Wellington commissioned a bespoke training project with The Assessment Network at Cambridge to enable greater assessment literacy across its 1600 learners, staff, and parents.

Grading is the procedure of setting thresholds, boundaries or cut-off scores to distinguish how well a candidate has performed in assessments for a particular syllabus. In this blog, Dr Ellen Leggate, Senior Assessment Advisor at Cambridge Assessment International Education will cover some of the key approaches for setting and maintaining a grading standard and the sources of evidence which can be used.

A curriculum can be broadly defined as anything that contributes to the definition of a learning programme. In this blog, Cambridge experts Dr Daniel Morrish, Sarah Nelson and Dr Nayla Aramouni explore the subject of curriculum design and development and share details on their upcoming five-part workshop series on the topic.

The second part of this two-part blog series, by former teacher and Senior Professional Development Manager at The Assessment Network, James Beadle, further explores some key thematic questions and trends that teachers should ask of any AI platform they are considering using for assessment.

Understanding item banking is essential for professionals involved in creating assessment content in a variety of contexts. In this blog, Margaret Cooze, a freelance language and assessment specialist with years of experience working at Cambridge, sheds light on the fundamental aspects of item banking.

The first part of this two-part blog series, by former teacher and Senior Professional Development Manager at The Assessment Network, James Beadle, suggests key thematic questions that teachers should ask of any AI platform they are considering using for assessment.

Cambridge Assessment Network member Tonia Parker is Department Chair for Psychology for the American Public University System. We spoke with her about her learning from A104 and developing a data code of ethics in Higher Education assessments.

The Assessment Network have launched a new workshop to help practitioners understand the fundamentals of research to empower their assessments. We spoke with the course trainers Dr Sylvia Vitello, Dominika Majewska, and Emma Walland, about their research careers, and discussed why research remains a cornerstone of great assessment practice.

To start the year, the Assessment Network team has asked experts from across our community to share their predictions on some of the key trends which will likely appear or develop in assessment in 2024.

Vocational education and assessment never stand still. Here, Dr Simon Child explains how assessment-focused CPD can equip teachers with adaptable skills fit for the future. From an interview with InTuition magazine.

Cambridge Assessment Network member Phillip Bryant is Head of End Point Assessment & Apprenticeships for the International Compliance Association. We spoke with him about AI opportunities and challenges in assessment design, the benefits of competency based assessments and his 'lightbulb moment' around creating truly accessible assessments.

In this Q&A, we discuss with Brooke her assessment background both as a science teacher and as Senior Assessment Training Manager at Cambridge Assessment Network, and how these experiences have s informed her approach to assessment, especially in the context of question writing.

Cambridge Assessment Network member Scarlett Wang is an Economics Teacher based in Shanghai. We spoke with her about how she got interested in learning more about assessment and why that led her to studying on the Advanced Assessment Practitioner Award.

We spoke with new Assessment Network team member James Beadle about differences in maths teaching internationally, the importance of frequent feedback in the classroom and how and why fair assessment structures are crucial to an equitable society.

Abigail Trickey is a musician, graduate of our Postgraduate Advanced Certificate, and last year completed an MEd at the University of Cambridge. We spoke with her about her research – which investigated changes made to music assessments during the pandemic - and how these changes impacted teachers and learners.

'Efficiency and Resilience: How can we adjust the dial?' is a report out today from the Government Outcomes Lab at Oxford University's Blavatnik School and supported by Cambridge Assessment Network. Many of the ideas in the report are closely linked to the topics explored as part of our ‘Mapping the Way’ series. In this blog, Loic Menzies introduces the ideas in the report, and discusses the links with our ambition to Map The Way to Educational Equity.

Despite being an assessment specialist based in Latin America, Verónica Floretta has managed to build a bridge between professionals across the globe as a Cambridge Assessment Network Ambassador.

In the first blog in this mini-series I argued that whichever party wins the next election will need to make the beliefs and values underpinning its policies clear. Then, in the second I showed how competing strategies can result in incoherent policy making. In this blog, I want to argue that being explicit about the values that sit behind a strategy also matters at a school or trust level.

Linguist and Cambridge Centre Exams Manager, Amanda Jane Lowles wanted a greater understanding of what practices went into the creation of her Centre’s assessments. By utilising A10 courses such as A101: Introducing the Principles of Assessment which are offered by Cambridge Assessment Network, Amanda has now gained this important expertise.

"Perhaps that’s why politicians ended up investing valuable political capital in major reforms of the National Curriculum, whilst at the same time exempting academies from having to follow it." In this latest blog from Loic Menzies, he explores how policymakers navigate the tensions encountered when trying to juggle autonomy and central direction.

In debates about ‘progressive’ versus ‘traditionalist’ teaching, part of the debate is about evidence, but values are the iceberg floating beneath the surface. In this blog from Loic Menzies, which is part of our series Mapping The Way to a More Equitable Future for Education, we look at the increased interest in evidence in education and the extent to which this should affect policy decisions.

Stephen Ives has been on an incredible journey in the world of assessment. Having spent over 12 years teaching English to adults both in the UK and abroad after completing his Cambridge DELTA qualification, Stephen has gone on to support the implementation of assessment processes across the globe. Here, Stephen discusses how completing CPD training with Cambridge Assessment Network is supporting his career development.

The recent launch of ChatGPT has accelerated the conversation around AI and assessment, so we spoke with Nick Raikes - who leads a programme of work in data innovation and development here at Cambridge - about opportunities and challenges for assessment practitioners.

Creative Education Trust (CET) is a UK network of 17 schools in postindustrial and coastal urban centres, educating 13,500 children and young people. They recently completed a bespoke project with the team at Cambridge Assessment Network which involved 60 teachers, 13 subjects and 5 weekly webinars, to reimagine the Trust's assessment framework.

One of our Cambridge Assessment Network members suggested a 'Day in the life' feature' to learn more about different careers in assessment. So for this Member Spotlight we spoke with Trudy Augustin, Testing and Evaluation Officer for the Ministry of Education in St Lucia about a typical day, what she enjoys the most about her role and how developing her understanding of assessment supports her career.

Desislava Dimitrova is an assessment expert with over 30 years’ experience in the educational sector. Having developed her knowledge base through both study and as a teacher in Bulgaria, Desislava was keen to get the answers to some of her most pressing questions around assessment – with the help of Cambridge Assessment Network she has been on a journey to find them.

Anthea Hollist is Head of Qualifications and Assessment for the University of the Arts, London, as well as a current student on the Cambridge Postgraduate Advanced Certificate in Educational Assessment course. We spoke with Anthea about her ‘assessment identity’, the challenges of creating 'engaging and meaningful' performance based assessments, and how assessment study has given her 'the language to talk about assessment with confidence.'

What should assessment practitioners be aware of when considering accessibility and inclusion in assessment? Cambridge Assessment Network spoke with Senior Research Managers Sylwia Macinska and Carla Pastorino about universally designed assessment, equity of access and trends in assistive technology.

Paul Kelly is Qualifications Director at Professional Assessment Ltd (PAL), where he leads the Resource Development Team and oversees the assessment design and production process. PAL provides end-point assessment for a wide range of apprenticeship standards for training organisations and employers and also audit and compliance services for training providers. We spoke with Paul about how psychology can be applied to pedagogy and assessment, considerations for accessibility in end-point assessments and the flexibility offered by remote assessments for professional discussions.

This is the final part of the latest 3-part series from Loic Menzies as part of our #MappingTheWay discussion series. “The Real Glue is Relationships” will ask whether, what we might need, is a more fundamental shift in focus towards continuity and relationships.

This is part 2 of the latest 3-part series from Loic Menzies as part of our #MappingTheWay discussion series. “Making Information Work for Young People” will zoom in on a topic that has been somewhat neglected in recent debates: the role and agency of young people themselves.

A lack of ‘system thinking’ has stymied the sector’s ability to gather, share and act on information about vulnerable young people’s needs. “Putting the Glue Back in the System” will set out some of the approaches education practitioners are attempting within the current system. Part 1 of a 3-part series that forms part of our #MappingTheWay discussion series with Loic Menzies.

Members of Cambridge Assessment Network work in a variety of sectors and are based around the world. We spoke with member Dr Fadi Munshi, Executive Director of Assessment for the Saudi Commission for Health Specialities (SCFHS) about challenges and insights from assessment in the world regulated healthcare. He shares his thoughts on the importance of the exam centre experience for the wellbeing of the test taker and how a 'programmatic' approach to assessment could reduce assessment stress.

In this blog, Dr. Neil Gilbride, Senior Lecturer at the University of Gloucestershire, talks about schools and why they are tricky places to navigate and understand. He then sets out the implications this has for the decisions teachers and school leaders need to make on a day-to-day basis.

How did different organisations offering assessments respond to the pandemic? and what could that tell us about the future of assessment delivery? Cambridge Assessment Network spoke with Sarah Corcoran, Director of e-Assessment Transformation at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) about moving to Computer-Based Assessment, and how learning and assessment in her industry is changing in relation to technology drivers.

Introducing one of our new Cambridge Assessment Network Ambassadors - Gwyneth Toolan. In this feature Gwyneth, Innovation Product Manager at RM in the UK, talks about teaching in Thailand, her "gratifying" experience on the Postgraduate Advanced Certificate, innovation and digital assessment, and why working on a "living topic" like assessment never gets dull!

This is the final instalment of a four-part blog series setting out the key considerations to come from our first #MappingTheWay event with Loic Menzies. This one looks at the different ways information and data can be interpreted - and the effect those interpretations have on stakeholders' behaviour.

At an expert roundtable in earlier this year we brought together key voices from the education sector to discuss the barriers to equity in education, and the information policy makers might need to improve it. Here, attendees Hardip Begol and Sammy Wright reflect on the discussion and share their thoughts on these perennial yet but crucial questions for any education system that aspires to equity.

This is the third in our four-part blog series setting out the key considerations to come from our latest #MappingTheWay event. This one explores why the supply of opportunities beyond the classroom is important, and how we can shape education to unlock them.

This is the second in a four-part blog series that will set out the key considerations to come from the event. Part one focused on the need to look at young people across the distribution. This one discusses how we can build up a fuller, picture of young people’s lives to inform a more nuanced approach to improving outcomes.

Hear from Loic Menzies, former teacher and Chief Executive of The Centre for Education and Youth, researcher, and policy specialist on the key points and next steps for his series Mapping the Way to a More Equitable Future for Education.

This is the latest in a series of blogs sharing stories about our assessment practitioner community. Kirsty Parkinson, Awarding Assessment Manager at The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply shares how she found a passion for assessment and a desire to take a deep dive into the nuts and bolts of it. Here she tells us how our postgraduate programme, the PGCA, equipped her to do just that.

This is the fifth in a series of blogs sharing stories about our assessment practitioner community. Tom Cherry is Head of Qualifications at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) and has studied on three of Cambridge Assessment Network’s four A10 series of online courses. Here he talks to us about wanting to get assessment right for his industry, the learners, and the wider assessment community.

This is the fourth in a series of blogs sharing stories about our assessment practitioner community. Educational specialist Gemma Escott talks to Cambridge Assessment Network about how becoming an assessment specialist 'just kind of happened', having to piecemeal together her early professional development and how A101: Introducing the Principles of Assessment allowed her to reflect on her practice amongst other professionals.

Rosalia Valero, Strategic Development Head at Cambridge Assessment English in Mexico, began her career in teaching and training and now works with ministries and educational institutions to transform education in the Americas region. She spoke to us about her career path and why developing a greater understanding of assessment has helped her to ‘fall in love again’ with what she sells.

George Vlachonikolis has taught Economics for A Level and IB for 10 years. Currently he is studying on the Postgraduate Advanced Certificate in Educational Studies: Educational Assessment (PGCA) and in this blog he details how the PGCA has built his confidence and expertise as an assessment practitioner and reflects on the things that have shaped his assessment identity.

Brooke Wyatt, Senior Manager of Assessment Training is the newest member of the Assessment Network team. Here she tells us about her experience working in assessment, what she loves about her work, and how as student, teacher and assessment manager, her perspective of assessment has many different angles.

In this blog, Dr Simon Child, Head of Assessment Training at Cambridge Assessment Network and Course Co-Director for the Postgraduate Advanced Certificate in Educational Studies: Educational Assessment (PGCA) discusses how knowledge, authority and confidence in assessment practice can equip practitioners for the future.

Last month a Cambridge Assessment Network seminar heard from inspirational naturist and campaigner Mary Colwell about the reasoning behind the her campaign for a Natural History GCSE and the journey towards the recent proposal to the Department for Education.

Simon Child, Head of Assessment Training at Cambridge Assessment Network, believes the time is right for robust assessment training that empowers teachers to contribute to the debate about the future of assessment. In this blog, from Laura Wheatman-Hill at TES, he explains that the current situation, and indeed the past year is shedding light on the need for change.

Tim Oates Director of Assessment Research and Development pays tribute to Professor Jane Mellanby, who passed away on 08 February 2021, and reflects on our sense of Jane.

Sarah Hughes, Senior Research Manager, OCR and Sanjay Mistry, Head of On-Screen Research, Cambridge International, delivered a workshop for Cambridge Assessment Network focusing on the considerations of embarking on e-assessment and lessons learnt. In this blog, Sanjay outlines some of the key areas that the workshop covered.

In November 2020 Cambridge Assessment Network hosted Professor Nuno Crato, Portugal’s Minister of Education and Science from 2011-2015, to speak at their first online thought leadership seminar on Portugal's success in curriculum and educational reform. Here he answers some audience questions.

The Cambridge Assessment Group has produced a range of resources and digital products that can support and enable remote teaching and learning.

Aaron Mortlock, Business Development Manager for Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing, gives his account of how Cambridge Assessment Network's practitioner workshops have improved his assessment knowledge and impacted his day to day practice.

Cambridge Assessment Network, a division of Cambridge Assessment that offers professional development in assessment, has shared the methodology behind their new online assessment practitioner workshops.

We spoke with teacher and freelance assessment consultant, Verónica Floretta, on her career in assessment and how Cambridge Assessment Network's new online course, A104: Psychometrics in Educational Assessment, has led her to reflect on the best ways to structure tests to ensure positive learning outcomes - not only in high stakes testing but also in the classroom.

As we come to the end of the pilot for A103: Introducing Data Literacy, we spoke to participants on the importance of data literacy and how their learning has impacted their professional practice.

Dr Simon Child, co-director of the Postgraduate Advanced Certificate in Educational Studies: Educational Assessment (PGCA), gives his thoughts on how the course prepares students for the future of assessment.

Ewan Brady shares his motivation for applying for the PGCA, providing insight into how the course is structured and how what he learned can be applied to his role as Subject Advisor at OCR.

The novel coronavirus outbreak presents huge and unexpected challenges for the education community worldwide. As an international exams group, Cambridge Assessment has a range of resources and digital products available that can support and enable remote teaching and learning.

Helen Ash, Monitor/Educator on The Network's online courses, discusses her experience working with Cambridge Assessment and the importance of studying assessment.

How knowledge of key assessment concepts can support teachers to make evidence-based decisions in order to optimise the use of technology in education.

Simon Child explains how the concept of trust, as explored by Dr Mary Richardson in a recent seminar, informs his work as Head of Assessment Training for the Cambridge Assessment Network.

Simon Child of The Network reflects on his last few years at Cambridge Assessment and tells us what’s keeping him busy in his new role.

Guest blogger and audience member Jenna Watson shares some of the key takeaways for teachers from our seminar 'Assessing the World - Visiting Cleverlands'.

Martin Robinson asks whether the rise of ed tech is having a particular effect on the quality of education preparing our next generation of artists, who he fears are being prepared for an ‘inauthentic future.’