orals A levels exams

One of the oddities of the pandemic has been the lack of progress the exams boards have made in developing independent assessement. Instead using schools to do the informal assessment. While doubling down on the watering down. It is time to look to the future to see what forms of assessements is possible to widen the array of tools at hand.

Looking at the professions and academic levels there are plenty of examples where the interview is used as a form of assessment. While at A level and GCSE the modern foreign lanuage oral section could be a form of interview.

This blog avocates that verbal assessment in all exams can be a part of the assessment array. Obviously there is a nutural bias to those who can have better speaking skills. This is no different from the bias of writing on scripts.

If the so called Oral or Viva increases the rounded assessment then it should be considered to be a valued for of exams.

While the oral actually favours the private candidate. Who has the opportuntiy to spends more time with teachers discussing verbally around the subject.

The Oral at any subject we believe a wider and more sustainable examination exercise, especially at A level.