Head of AQA: exams could be online within 3 years

[noblegiraffe]

Colin Hughes, head of AQA has been interviewed:

Mr Hughes said he would support the launch of “national pilots” for “on-screen assessment”, and that it would take just three years to go from the today’s “totally paper-based” system to having some modules on computers…

Computer-based exams would have a range of benefits, he said, such as making it possible to set “adaptive” tests that tailor themselves to each student – getting harder or easier depending on how the student answers questions, to more accurately pinpoint their ability.

Because pupils would all sit slightly different tests, adaptive tests could eventually revolutionise the school calendar, removing the need for a summer exam season.

Instead, students could take the tests on a “when-ready basis”, which would be “arguably fairer”, said Mr Hughes.”

He also says that issues with lack of computers was something that could easily be sorted. I’m not sure how, tbh.

I read stuff like this and think ‘fgs another overhaul of the exams system is not what we need right now.

I also really don’t want kids sitting maths exams on a computer.

inews.co.uk/news/education/gcses-a-levels-2022-computer-based-exams-online-tests-aqa-1308135

Most pupils aren't Stephen Hawking.

And yes, I know it's TV, but have you seen the whiteboards all around the apartment in The Big Bang Theory?

We had a student who had a physical disability and did his maths like Steven hawking. That necessitated a huge number of adaptations for him including an extraordinary amount of extra time in exams. We could only afford to fund it because of his SEN.
It's not as simple as wishing making it so.

Maths is done with the mind, not the hand. It's the concepts that are important.

Russell and Whitehead took hundreds of pages to prove that 1+1=2. One could argue that mathematical concepts are nothing without logically rigorous arguments to back them up.

Or as maths teachers say, showing your working.

@noblegiraffe

Why would you not want to see online exams?

I'm a maths teacher. Typing maths on a computer actually interferes with the ability to do the maths because you're too busy thinking about how to type it to be able to think properly about the question.

Completely agree.

Relying on tech is also risky.

I know of a student at uni who had connection issues during exam. It locked them out.

Why would you not want to see online exam

Says someone who has never used maths watch

I hate maths watch.
I think it spoilt maths learning for my dc.

Another non fan of mathswatch. The groan from a kid who loves maths when they realise the homework that week is on mathswatch is telling.

My DH has a condition (residual effect of his childhood epilepsy) where his hand would freeze up in the middle of stressful situations and he would be unable to write. So his GP wrote a letter saying that he should be allowed to type on a computer for university exams. We read law, so our exams were 100% essays really.

He did his exams in a computer lab. I am not sure how he could have cheated as Wifi was disabled on the computer.

I remember being envious of him as we were in a London university so had to travel to various locations for our exams but he could do his exams on campus...

There are many fabulous ways of learning/doing maths, from elementary to professional, without putting pen to paper. e.g :
Dragonbox
Geogebra
Geometer's sketchpad
Maple
Matlab
Mathematica / Wolfram alpha

You mention Matlab in that list, which is a programming language that I used to write the program for my final year dissertation.

Currently, the exam board AQA have one programming paper, COMP1 that is done on screen (not online) and the pupils have many sections that they need to program during the 2 hour 30 min exam and they have to write code, debug it and print off each question separately during the exam (so lots of getting up and down throughout the exam to the printer, which is also nosy and sometimes there is a queue) because they cannot print once the time is up.

Students generally spend too much time fixing small syntax errors that wouldn’t matter on a written paper and according to e-AQA, the stats show a large proportion never finish and compared with the other paper (and three others when it was modular) COMP1 scores the lowest overall on average.
The Facebook groups for these are filled with teachers complaining about this paper.

I moved my students over to OCR which has two written papers and lo and behold, better results ever since.

I would need to take a lot of convincing to go back

JUNE 2019 cumulative % for different grades in GCSE computer science:

GRADE AQA

9 4.4

8 13.9

7 24.5

6 38.3

5 52.6

4 65.3

3 79.8

2 90.4

1 97.3

U 100.0

GRADE OCR
9 4.15
8 11.74
7 21.62
6 34.64
5 48.67
4 62.64
3 77.51
2 88.65
1 96.68
U 100.0

From this it is clear that grades are broadly similar but slightly higher for AQA than OCR, the opposite of what you claimed.
sources :
AQA
OCR

That’s GCSE and not A Level. GCSE for both don’t have onscreen exams

One could argue that mathematical concepts are nothing without logically rigorous arguments to back them up

It is a mistake to conflate logically rigorous arguments with handwritten arguments.
The usefulness of computers in mathematical proof has been recognised since the proof of the four-colour theorem in 1976

The usefulness of computers in mathematical proof has been recognised since the proof of the four-colour theorem in 1976

Leading to concerns that mathematical thinking would be driven by focusing on things that could be proved by using computers rather than those arising from intuitive leaps - that might have taken decades or centuries to properly establish - that have been the driver of mathematical development since time immemorial.

It may be 'with the times' but I find it quite depressing how everything is becoming more screen oriented.

I don't think it's very good for our vision or brains to be looking at screens so much. I desperately need to beat my screen addiction. I'm genuinely worried I'll end up with dementia at 50 and probably one of the first where generstion we see issues much earlier into old age.

I'd like schools to move even a little way from how screen based it is, even reception children do learning on tablets in schools now, I think it will be healthier for the future generations if we moved away from it.

A bit of a ramble, but I'm definitely not in favour of more things becoming screen based. I've already heard comments in the playground etc that handwriting is irrelevant because everything will be typed.

CS A level cumulative percentages, June 2019:

OCR
A* 3.24
A 16.42
B 39.09
C 62.95
D 83.41
E 94.24

AQA
A* 3.7
A 20.2
B 41.8
C 63.4
D 82.9
E 95.1

Cumulative curves broadly similar but you're more likely to get a top A* / A grade with AQA. Opposite to your claim, and thus no evidence that the on-screen paper lowered grades.

OCR

AQA

The usefulness of computers in mathematical proof has been recognised since the proof of the four-colour theorem in 1976

Yes, as has the unsatisfactory nature of a brute force approach, which lacks elegance and offers no insight as to why four colours suffice.

But I don't think my GCSE candidates will be writing programs to solve their GCSE papers anyway so it's rather irrelevant.

Cumulative curves broadly similar but you're more likely to get a top A / A grade with AQA. Opposite to your claim, and thus no evidence that the on-screen paper lowered grades.*

That’s because the grade boundaries are lower with AQA because the pupils find the on screen paper harder.

I notice that you didn’t acknowledge your mistake for your post using GCSE data!

If you go back to my post, you will see I talked about the e-AQA data analysis on each paper and question breakdown. That’s where you will see the differences between on-screen vs handwritten papers, which is the whole point of the thread. Pupils getting a D for example on the COMP1 paper but being able to boost their grade with the coursework and COMP2 handwritten paper, which on average gain the higher marks. Also, fewer pupils take AQA as a result.

I’ve been teaching the A Level for nearly 20 years. My pupils (and many others) get better grades with OCR which is a fact. I do not teach in a private school, so have to do what is best for my pupils. Sometimes, listening to the people actually involved in all this is vital, when crude overall percentages miss out so much.

I asked my teen and she says maths is much better on paper than screen.

Computers in my place aren’t great and can see lots problem with this.

Someone mentioned the ABRSM theory exams going online. They are in fact an apt example of why we probably DON'T want maths etc going to all online assessment.

The curriculum was reduced / simplified in preparation for the change to online. There is no writing of rhythms or tunes involved, so it can be completely computer marked (anything that could have more than one right answer eliminated, basically). There was always a big leap between grade 5 and grade 6 theory, there is now a gaping chasm. Grade 6-8 theory is staying paper based, and might just as well be a different subject.

Reading discussion on the ABRSM forum about this, teachers have also encountered lots of difficulties with the online papers so far.

My 16 yr old DS is very tech savvy and has been using a surface for just over 3 years now. He does choose to work maths and physics problems on it, but only because he is comfortable using it as he would pen and paper. He also is finally beginning to appreciate that sometimes it is better to cross something out rather than erasing it when you think you are going the wrong way, in case you need to come back to your initial ideas ...

I really don't think maths should be assessed fully via computers until everyone has regular day to day use of stylus and screen devices for a decent length of time prior to being examined.

And on the subject of "stage not age" exams - the teaching process necessary to let this work would require a fundamental revolution in how mass education is delivered. Much as I would love too see such a system working. (DD, who we failed to persuade to do physics A level, wished she'd had the chance to do physics GCSE at the end of year 8 to leave room for other subjects; she felt, probably correctly, she could have easily done it at that point and still got a top result)

It is wrong to say most teens are computer savvy. They know how to use phones and browse and take (often every bad) photos. I discovered , mainly in lockdown, but also via teaching a subject with coursework , that they do not know how to use keyboards very well and basic computer use - including using Word- is beyond them much of the time.

@Piggywaspushed

It is wrong to say most teens are computer savvy. They know how to use phones and browse and take (often every bad) photos. I discovered , mainly in lockdown, but also via teaching a subject with coursework , that they do not know how to use keyboards very well and basic computer use - including using Word- is beyond them much of the time.

We have Gove to thank for this, removing ICT (which delivered many skills relevant to employment and useful in real life) from the curriculum and replacing it with Computing, hated by many if not most kids. ICT was a subject that not only equipped young people with technical expertise but, if taught properly, with the ability to think critically, learn independently and work collaboratively, all immensely useful transferable skills. I’ve taught the subject both with and without final exams, on the whole I preferred the specification with a multiple choice exam, a written exam (on paper) and timed practical tasks under exam conditions. But it didn’t make a great deal of difference really.

Exams online would only work if schools are given funds for the equipment. Pupils would also need to be taught typing skills in primary school - so impossible in 3 years. I teach an essay based subject and the vast majority of students are quicker at writing than typing. Computers wouldn't help dyslexic etc students as in an exam they wouldn't have access to spell check.

@noblegiraffe

Why would you not want to see online exams?

I'm a maths teacher. Typing maths on a computer actually interferes with the ability to do the maths because you're too busy thinking about how to type it to be able to think properly about the question.

I would not be able to do maths on a computer, I need to write it down to understand it.

However, it would be good for something such as languages...