Associate Professor of Educational Assessment, Michelle Meadows and local teacher, Jonny Tridgell discuss the A-level grading process and how grade boundaries are set for these important national exams.
This podcast is released on the eve of A-level results day. We thought it would be an ideal moment to reflect on the grading process. Michelle Meadows, Associate Professor of Education Assessment, and Jonny Tridgell, a local teacher with wide experience of exam marking and supporting young people as they receive their A-level results, chat with Deanery co-director Hamish Chalmers. How are grade boundaries set? Who takes the final decision about grades? How comparable are grade boundaries from different exam boards? How is fairness achieved for young people with special educational needs and other access challenges? And, inevitably, what role might AI play in the process in the future? Michelle, Jonny and Hamish delve into these and many more questions about these important national exams to demystify the process for students, parents and teachers.
Resources related to Michelle’s research with Qualifications Wales (applicable UK-wide): https://www.education.ox.ac.uk/research/research-on-standards-in-gcses-in-wales/
Five-minute video about why grade boundaries change: https://vimeo.com/933257777/f846b0bce5
Teacher resource packs on assessment in education: https://www.education.ox.ac.uk/about-us/oxford-education-deanery/knowledge-hub/
Ofqual analytics website (a selection of interactive visualisations to allow users to explore examinations data): https://analytics.ofqual.gov.uk
Learn more about the Oxford Education Deanery here: https://www.education.ox.ac.uk/about-us/oxford-education-deanery/
