UK Education
On the side of teachers and students
After two years of teacher assessments, 2022 marked a return to summer exams for GCSE and A Level in the UK. It also marked the first teaching of redeveloped Cambridge Nationals, our vocational qualifications for students aged 14–16, from September 2022.
Improving results day across the sector
With over 1.5 million papers to mark, the UK summer examination series is always a logistical and technical challenge. 2022 saw issues with the handling of vocational results across the sector. Teams in OCR worked fast and effectively with teachers, students and parents to fix the issues and to make sure that no student missed out on their university place.
Since 2022’s results day, we have worked with exams regulator Ofqual, the Department for Education, schools and colleges and the other boards to improve delivery of vocational results. Across the sector, there is now much better information on who is expecting a result on the day. Our focus is always on teachers and students so that students get the results they deserve and can progress with their learning, as that is core to our purpose.
“We have to harness generative AI, data science and online learning in a more human-centred way.”
Jill Duffy writing in The Independent
Cambridge Nationals launched
The Cambridge Nationals vocational qualifications for students aged 14–16 were successfully launched with full publishing resources from Cambridge and were first taught in September 2022. They have been very popular – take-up has been strong and we are now looking to expand with new subjects, including one on sustainability.
Responding to generative AI
Following the emergence of widely available generative AI tools, our immediate concern was to protect the integrity of our qualifications this year and consider the guidance needed to reduce the risk of malpractice around coursework.
We are responding to AI from a curriculum and assessment point of view. In March 2023, we published a set of principles on how we would approach generative AI and assessment, aiming to strengthen education professionals, support teachers and deliver better assessments. Assessing fairly is the key in a world of AI; it makes in-person exams even more important.
Responding to generative AI
Following the emergence of widely available generative AI tools, our immediate concern was to protect the integrity of our qualifications this year and consider the guidance needed to reduce the risk of malpractice around coursework.
Launch of digital mocks a step along the digital assessment journey
Together with the International Education group, UK Education is pooling its expertise in the development of joint projects for digital high-stakes qualifications and other formative assessments.
A digital mock exam service in GCSE Computer Science and IGCSEs in English and AS Level History, was trialled this year for 11 UK schools and 10 International schools that wanted to run a digital mock.
Over 1,000 assessments were taken using the trial mocks system that adapts existing examination papers for display and answering on screen. After a mock test is sat digitally, it is sent to examiners to mark with results delivered to students within 14 days, so they can be assured it is providing a valid measure of the grade they are working at.
The service will be expanded to more subjects in future and Cambridge is looking at how it might use AI for marking digital assessments. Our trial has already given us insights into how to make our digital mocks a user-friendly option for all schools and colleges and learn what it takes to deliver assessment online before we use it for more high-stakes assessments.
We are also working to define where digital can add value in terms of assessing those things that cannot be assessed on paper alone. For example, GCSE Computer Science involves programming, which is potentially better assessed digitally than in print.
A humanities subject is also being tested, while maths is challenging to put on screen due to all the different workings that students need to do and the different tools that they might be using.
Schools themselves have different digital capabilities and capacity. Some schools are more enthusiastic or better equipped than others. The same is true of students. Some students would really like to do their exams on screen while others don’t want to do that. These are among the considerations that we need to look at carefully across the UK if digital assessment is going to be a success.
Improving inclusivity
OCR was the first exam board to include events such as the Stonewall Riots and the emergence of AIDS in the 1980s in our history curriculum. We are continuing to push for greater inclusivity in our qualifications today.
Over the last year, we have included more diverse, representative and rigorous texts in our courses, including English Literature and Media Studies. We are reviewing the content of all our qualifications to make them more relevant and so that students see themselves in the qualifications that they study.
OCR is considering all aspects that promote a feeling of inclusivity, going beyond the curriculum. For example, if someone has changed their name because they have changed their gender, then we will create a new certificate for them.
Formative assessments measure potential and progress
Cambridge Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM) has worked in 109 countries this year and remains one of the largest and longest established providers of formative assessments for children of all ages. The CEM team analysed 43 million data points and used 600,000 assessments to ensure its data is as reliable as possible.
Rethinking formative assessment
Cambridge Centre for Evaluation & Monitoring (CEM) has developed a new, innovative technology platform, supporting the development of formative assessments for Cambridge schools both in the UK and internationally.
Putting customers first, this platform has been built using feedback from our community of users. Combined with the latest research into adaptive assessments, this is enabling Cambridge to be more innovative and economical with less risk, as we reduce our dependency on using third-party platforms for future formative assessment developments. Our newest assessment, Cambridge Primary Insight, is hosted on the new platform, with other assessments, such as the Cambridge Wellbeing Check and secondary assessments, to be migrated next year.
The platform is delivering a much-improved, intuitive user experience including:
- A user management tool that configures assessments for both single schools and groups of schools, like multi-academy trusts
- The ability for more students to take CEM assessments and teachers to access student information in bulk
- A single login and the ability to easily link with other Cambridge products, systems and technologies
- An improved messaging platform that sends students’ results to the reporting database and dashboard
- Improvements to meet user accessibility needs like improving readability and SEND (Special Education Needs and Disabilities) filters
- Server capacity scalability depending on demand, making the platform more sustainable
The platform captures real-time user feedback, which will be used to inform continuous platform improvements, ensuring that this development prioritises our customers.
© Cambridge University Press & Assessment, 2023