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Common Awards Assessment Guidelines for Written Examinations, Study notes of School management&administration

Guidelines for written examinations in higher education, explaining their purpose, content, and assessment criteria. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the exam questions, demonstrating critical thinking and analysis, and communicating clearly under time pressure.

Typology: Study notes

2021/2022

Uploaded on 09/12/2022

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Common Awards Assessment Guidelines
WRITTEN EXAMINATIONS
1
COMMON AWARDS: ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES
Written Examinations
PURPOSE
The purpose of written examinations is to encourage you to review all the learning you have
achieved in a module, so that you have formed and retained a broad understanding of the module
subject area. In addition, examinations assess your ability to encounter and respond appropriately
to new or unexpected questions, using the knowledge and understanding you have acquired in
your study and revision.
Most often, the examination questions or tasks resemble those of essays or other written
assignments (though they may also include multiple-choice or short answer questions). Thus
examinations are likely to require you to draw upon the reading and study that you have done for
the module to respond to a particular question or task. You will need to know how to summarise,
synthesise, analyse and evaluate your knowledge and understanding. Naturally, examinations test
your ability to communicate well in writing under time pressurea skill that will be useful in a
range of vocational and professional contexts.
CONTENT
Written exams usually occur at the end of a module and take place under timed conditions. They
may be 'seen', where the student is aware in advance of the question(s) they are expected to
answer, or 'unseen', where the questions are only revealed 'on the day'. In an 'open-book' exam,
you are allowed to use a selection of reference materials during the assessment.
Exams are designed to give you an opportunity to write about what you have learned: they are not
designed to “catch you out”. There may be a range of past papers that you can use for practice.
However, it’s good to remember that the most significant and important part of an examination is
the revision and learning that you will have done in preparation for it, not the examination itself.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
First and foremost, we are looking to see whether you have answered examination questions or
addressed the task(s) set in the examination. We are also looking to see whether you have
demonstrated that you have met the relevant learning outcomes of the Module Outline. The style
and content of examinations may vary considerably, depending on the subject matter and the tutor.
However, we are likely to be looking for similar attributes to written assignments, recognising that
the timed conditions of an examination mean that the level of detail that you can offer will be
limited. In a written examination we will be looking for you to
1. demonstrate that you have read and understood an appropriate and relevant range of texts
…by interacting with what you have read in your responses to the examination questions.
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Common Awards Assessment Guidelines 1

C O M M O N A W A R D S : A S S E S S M E N T G U I D E L I N E S

Written Examinations

PURPOSE

The purpose of written examinations is to encourage you to review all the learning you have achieved in a module, so that you have formed and retained a broad understanding of the module subject area. In addition, examinations assess your ability to encounter and respond appropriately to new or unexpected questions, using the knowledge and understanding you have acquired in your study and revision.

Most often, the examination questions or tasks resemble those of essays or other written assignments (though they may also include multiple-choice or short answer questions). Thus examinations are likely to require you to draw upon the reading and study that you have done for the module to respond to a particular question or task. You will need to know how to summarise, synthesise, analyse and evaluate your knowledge and understanding. Naturally, examinations test your ability to communicate well in writing under time pressure – a skill that will be useful in a range of vocational and professional contexts.

CONTENT

Written exams usually occur at the end of a module and take place under timed conditions. They may be 'seen', where the student is aware in advance of the question(s) they are expected to answer, or 'unseen', where the questions are only revealed 'on the day'. In an 'open-book' exam, you are allowed to use a selection of reference materials during the assessment.

Exams are designed to give you an opportunity to write about what you have learned: they are not designed to “catch you out”. There may be a range of past papers that you can use for practice. However, it’s good to remember that the most significant and important part of an examination is the revision and learning that you will have done in preparation for it, not the examination itself.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

First and foremost, we are looking to see whether you have answered examination questions or addressed the task(s) set in the examination. We are also looking to see whether you have demonstrated that you have met the relevant learning outcomes of the Module Outline. The style and content of examinations may vary considerably, depending on the subject matter and the tutor. However, we are likely to be looking for similar attributes to written assignments, recognising that the timed conditions of an examination mean that the level of detail that you can offer will be limited. In a written examination we will be looking for you to

  1. demonstrate that you have read and understood an appropriate and relevant range of texts …by interacting with what you have read in your responses to the examination questions.

Common Awards Assessment Guidelines 2

  1. demonstrate understanding … by showing that you have understood the examination question or task in the context of the learning of the module and different authors’ approaches to it.
  2. critically evaluate material that is relevant to the topic …by analysing and evaluating relevant texts and their interpretation, historical events and/or the contributions of scholars in relation to the task / question of the exam.
  3. construct an argument …in response to the exam question or task, making use of the learning that you have done through your reading and revision.
  4. write clearly, concisely, fluently and legibly ...making your exam easy to read and follow; this will involve having a clear structure and paying attention to grammar and spelling.

TECHNICAL MATTERS

For the tutor:

  • Examinations are particularly appropriate when students need to demonstrate a grasp of the breadth of material covered in a module. Helping students prepare for examinations can help allay the fears often associated with exams, especially among mature students.
  • You need to make sure that the examination will test the relevant module learning outcomes. Short answer or multiple choice questions need to be particularly well designed if they are to test higher-level skills, not just factual knowledge. Some learning outcomes will not be able to be assessed by (some kinds of) examination.
  • It is essential to ask colleagues (and/or external examiners) to check examination questions before they are set.
  • It is important to ensure in advance that students are clear on the format of the examination they will be taking.
  • It is important to encourage students to write practice answers and give them feedback on them.
  • It is recommended to offer revision sessions: to go over exam technique and give practice in analysing questions.

For the student:

  • Begin the process of preparation at the very beginning of the module by keeping up with the required reading, making good, concise summary notes as you go along, and by ensuring you have not just memorized but understood the material.
  • You are not required to reference specific works in a written examination, in the way that you would for an essay.
  • Practice handwriting plans and, occasionally, whole essays under timed conditions – especially if you are not used to handwriting!

MARKING CRITERIA

The questions that your marker will be considering when assessing your work are as follows: