Demythologising A level Exam Standards

References

• Associated Examining Board. 1985. How A.E.B. Sets and Marks GCE Examinations. Aldershot, Hampshire: Associated Examining Board.
   Google Scholar
• Association of School and College Leaders. 2019. The Forgotten Third: Final Report of the Commission of Inquiry. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
   Google Scholar
• Baird, J. 2007. “Alternative Conceptions of Comparability.” In Techniques for Monitoring the Comparability of Examination Standards, edited by P. E. Newton, J. Baird, H. Goldstein, H. Patrick, and P. Tymms, 124–156. London: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
   Google Scholar
• Baird, J., A. Ahmed, T. Hopfenbeck, C. Brown, and V. Elliott. 2013. Research Evidence Relating to Proposals for Reform of the GCSE (OUCEA/13/1). Oxford: Oxford University Centre for Educational Assessment.
   Google Scholar
• Baird, J., and D. Dhillon (2005). “Qualitative Expert Judgements on Examination Standards: Valid, but Inexact.” Internal report RPA 05 JB RP 077. Guildford: Assessment and Qualifications Alliance.
   Google Scholar
• Bardell, G. S., G. M. Forrest, and D. J. Shoesmith. 1978. Comparability in GCE. Manchester: Joint Matriculation Board.
   Google Scholar
• Beaton, A. E. 1990. “Introduction.” In The Effect of Changes in the National Assessment: Disentangling the NAEP 1985-86 Reading Anomaly, edited by A. E. Beaton and R. Zwick, 1–13. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.
   Google Scholar
• Benton, T. 2016. Comparable Outcomes: Scourge or Scapegoat? Cambridge: Cambridge Assessment.
   Google Scholar
• Benton, T., and T. Bramley. 2015. The Use of Evidence in Setting and Maintaining Standards in GCSEs and A Levels: Discussion Paper. Cambridge: Cambridge Assessment.
   Google Scholar
• Black, B., and T. Bramley. 2008. “Investigating a Judgemental Rank-ordering Method for Maintaining Standards in UK Examinations.” Research Papers in Education 23 (3): 357–373.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Board Secretaries, G. C. E. (1982). “Paper on Criterion Referencing.” Attached to a letter from H.F. King (Convenor of GCE Secretaries) to Keith Joseph, 26 November.
   Google Scholar
• Bolton, P. 2012. Education: Historical Statistics. Standard Note: SN/SG/4252. London: House of Commons Library.
   Google Scholar
• Bramley, T., and V. Dhawan. 2011. “The Effect of Changing Component Grade Boundaries on the Assessment Outcome in GCSEs and A Levels.” Research Matters: A Cambridge Assessment Publication 12: 13–18.
   Google Scholar
• Brereton, J. L. 1944. The Case for Examinations: An Account of Their Place in Education with Some Proposals for Their Reform. London: Cambridge University Press.
   Google Scholar
• Callaghan, J. 1976. A Rational Debate Based on the Facts. Speech delivered at Ruskin College, University of Oxford. October 18.
   Google Scholar
• Cambridge Assessment. 2010. Exam Standards: The Big Debate. Report and Recommendations. Cambridge: Cambridge Assessment.
   Google Scholar
• Choppin, B. 1981. “Is Education Getting Better?” British Educational Research Journal 7 (1): 3–16.
   Google Scholar
• Christie, T., and G. M. Forrest. 1980. Standards at GCE A-level: 1963 and 1973. London: Macmillan Education.
   Google Scholar
• Christie, T., and G. M. Forrest. 1981. Defining Public Examination Standards. Schools Council Research Studies. London: Macmillan Education.
   Google Scholar
• Christopher, R. 1980. “Examination Board Assessment.” In Assessment and the Curriculum, edited by R. W. Fairbrother, 38–61. London: Chelsea College, University of London.
   Google Scholar
• Coe, R. (1999). “Changes in Examination Grades over Time: Is the Same Worth Less?” Paper presented at the British Educational Research Association Conference, University of Sussex, Brighton, 2-5 September.
   Google Scholar
• Coe, R. (2013). “Improving Education: A Triumph of Hope over Experience.” Inaugural Lecture of Professor Robert Coe, Durham University. 18 June.
   Google Scholar
• Cox, C. B. 1975. “Educational Statistics.” In Black Paper 1975: The Fight for Education, edited by C. B. Cox and R. Boyson, 36–39. London: J.M. Dent and Sons.
   Google Scholar
• Cox, C. B., and A. E. Dyson. Eds. 1969a. Fight for Education: A Black Paper. London: Critical Quarterly Society.
   Google Scholar
• Cox, C. B., and A. E. Dyson. Eds. 1969b. Black Paper Two: The Crisis in Education. London: Critical Quarterly Society.
   Google Scholar
• Cresswell, M. J. 1987. “Describing Examination Performance: Grade Criteria in Public Examinations.” Educational Studies 13 (3): 247–265.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Cresswell, M. J. (2000). “The Role of Public Examinations in Defining and Monitoring Standards.” In H. Goldstein and A. Heath (Eds). Educational Standards (Proceedings of the British Academy Vol.102) (pp.69–104). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
   Google Scholar
• Cresswell, M. J. 2003. Heaps, Prototypes and Ethics: The Consequences of Using Judgements of Student Performance to Set Examination Standards in a Time of Change. London: University of London Institute of Education.
   Google Scholar
• Cresswell, M.J. (1996). “Defining, Setting and Maintaining Standards in Curriculum-Embedded Examinations: Judgmental and Statistical Approaches.„ In Assessment: Problems, Developments and Statistical Issues, edited by GoldsteinH. and LewisT. , 57–84. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.
   Google Scholar
• Crofts, J. M., and D. Caradog Jones. 1928. Secondary School Examination Statistics. London: Longmans.
   Google Scholar
• Curcin, M., E. Howard, K. Sully, and B. Black. 2019. Improving Awarding: 2018/2019 Pilots. Ofqual/19/6575. Coventry: Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation.
   Google Scholar
• Dearing, R. 1996. Review of Qualifications for 16-19 Year Olds. Summary Report. London: School Curriculum and Assessment Authority.
   Google Scholar
• Department of Education and Science/Welsh Office. 1982. Examinations and 16-Plus: A Statement of Policy. London: HMSO.
   Google Scholar
• Dispatches. 1995. Making the Grade. London: Channel 4. October.
   Google Scholar
• Edgeworth, F. Y. 1888. “The Statistics of Examinations.” Journal of the Royal Statistical Society LI: 599–635.
   Google Scholar
• Glaser, R. 1963/1994. “Instructional Technology and the Measurement of Learning Outcomes: Some Questions.” Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice 13 (4): 6–8.
   Google Scholar
• Hartog, P. J. 1918. Examinations and Their Relation to Culture and Efficiency. London: Constable and Company.
   Google Scholar
• House of Commons Education Committee. (2012). The Administration of Examinations for 15–19 Year Olds in England. First Report of Session 2012–13. Volume I. HC 141-I. London: Stationery Office Limited.
   Google Scholar
• Jarvis, J., and G. Ward. 2012. Cheats, Choices, & Dumbing Down. [No Publication City]. Pukka Publications.
   Google Scholar
• Jenkins, J. G. 1958. “Operation GCE. How the Examination Is Conducted.” In External Examinations in Secondary Schools: Their Place and Function, edited by G. B. Jeffery, 112–128. London: George G. Harrap & Co.
   Google Scholar
• Joint G.C.E./C.S.E. Committee. 1966. Examining at 16+: The Report of the Joint G.C.E./C.S.E. Committee of the Schools Council. London: HMSO.
   Google Scholar
• Joint Matriculation Board. 1951. JMB Standardization and the GCE. Manchester: Joint Matriculation Board.
   Google Scholar
• Joseph, K. (1984). Speech Delivered at the North of England Education Conference, Sheffield. 6 January.
   Google Scholar
• Kingdon, M. 1991. The Reform of Advanced Level. London: Hodder & Stoughton.
   Google Scholar
• Kingdon, M., and G. Stobart. 1988. GCSE Examined. Sussex: Falmer Press.
   Google Scholar
• Koretz, D. 2008. Measuring Up: What Educational Testing Really Tells Us. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
   Google Scholar
• Koretz, D. 2017. The Testing Charade: Pretending to Make Schools Better. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
   Google Scholar
• Lebus, S. (2010). “A Vision for the Future of A Levels.” Speech delivered at the Westminster Education Forum Keynote Seminar. Westminster, London. 2 December.
   Google Scholar
• Lupton, R., and S. Thomson (2015). “The Coalition’s Record on Schools: Policy, Spending and Outcomes 2010-2015.” Working Paper 13. London: London School of Economics and Political Science.
   Google Scholar
• Montgomery, R. J. 1965. Examinations: An Account of Their Evolution as Administrative Devices in England. London:. Longmans, Green & Co.
   Google Scholar
• Newton, P. E. 1997. “Examining Standards over Time.” Research Papers in Education 12 (3): 227–248.
   Google Scholar
• Newton, P. E. 2010. “Thinking about Linking.” Measurement: Interdisciplinary Research and Perspectives 8 (1): 38–56.
   Google Scholar
• Newton, P. E. 2011. “A Level Pass Rates and the Enduring Myth of Norm-referencing.” Research Matters 2: 20–26.
   Google Scholar
• Newton, P. E. 2015. “Ripping off the Cloak of Secrecy.” In Examining Assessment, edited by L. Gray, C. Jackson, and L. Simmonds, 70–78. Guildford, UK: Centre for Education Research and Practice, Assessment and Qualifications Alliance.
   Google Scholar
• Newton, P. E. 2020a. Maintaining Standards: During Normal Times and When Qualifications are Reformed (Ofqual/20/6710/2). Coventry, UK: Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation.
   Google Scholar
• Newton, P. E. 2020b. What Is the Sawtooth Effect? The Nature and Management of Impacts from Syllabus, Assessment, and Curriculum Transitions in England (Ofqual/20/6710/1). Coventry, UK: Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation.
   Google Scholar
• Norwood, C. 1943. Curriculum and Examinations in Secondary Schools. Report of the Committee of the Secondary School Examinations Council Appointed by the President of the Board of Education in 1941. London: HMSO.
   Google Scholar
• Nuttall, D. L. 1986. “Problems in the Measurement of Change.” In Assessing Educational Achievement, edited by D. Nuttall, 153–167. Sussex: Falmer Press.
   Google Scholar
• Oates, T. (2010). “Speech Delivered at Cambridge Assessment Seminar: School Exams: Have ‘Standards’ Really Fallen?” RSA House, London. 29 April.
   Google Scholar
• Ofqual. 2011. Maintaining Standards in GCSEs and A Levels in Summer 2011. Coventry: Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation.
   Google Scholar
• Ofqual. 2012. GCSEs and A Levels in Summer 2012: Our Approach to Setting and Maintaining Standards. Coventry: Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation.
   Google Scholar
• Ofqual. 2015. Setting GCSE, AS and A Level Grade Standards in Summer 2014 and 2015 [First Published in 2014 but Also Applies to Summer 2015 Qualifications.]. Ofqual/15/5759. Coventry: Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation.
   Google Scholar
• Ofqual. 2019a. Guidance. Summer 2019 Data Exchange Procedure: GCE (AS/A Level), GCSE and Project Qualifications. Ofqual/19/6536. Coventry: Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation.
   Google Scholar
• Ofqual. 2019b. GCE Qualification Level Conditions and Requirements. Ofqual/19/6053/1. Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. Coventry.
   Google Scholar
• Ofqual/National Foundation for Educational Research. 2019. National Reference Test Information. Ofqual/19/6527/3. Coventry: Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation.
   Google Scholar
• Orr, L., and D. L. Nuttall. 1983. Determining Standards in the Proposed Single System of Examinations at 16+. London: Schools Council.
   Google Scholar
• Petch, J. A. 1953. Fifty Years of Examining. London: Harrap & Co.
   Google Scholar
• Pollard, A. 1969. “O and A Level: Keeping up the Standards.” In Black Paper Two: The Crisis in Education, edited by C. B. Cox and A. E. Dyson, 72–79. London: Critical Quarterly Society.
   Google Scholar
• Pollitt, A. (1998). “Maintaining Standards in Changing Times.” Presented at the 24th Annual Conference of the International Association for Educational Assessment. Barbados, West Indies. May, 1998.
   Google Scholar
• Public Bill Committee. (2011). “Session 2010-11, 24 March 2011. Education Bill. Schedule 6.” https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmpublic/education/110324/pm/110324s01.htm
   Google Scholar
• Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. 1999. Five Yearly Review of Standards in 16+ Examinations: 1976-1996. London: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
   Google Scholar
• Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. 2001. Five Year Review of Standards: A Level Mathematics. London: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
   Google Scholar
• Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. 2004. A Level Art and Design: Review of Standards 1978-98. London: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
   Google Scholar
• Robertson, D., and J. Hillman (1997). “Widening Participation in Higher Education for Students from Lower Socio-Economic Groups and Students with Disabilities.” The National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education. Report 6. http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/ncihe/
   Google Scholar
• Robinson, C. 2007. “Awarding Examination Grades: Current Processes and Their Evolution.” In Techniques for Monitoring the Comparability of Examination Standards, edited by P. E. Newton, J. Baird, H. Goldstein, H. Patrick, and P. Tymms, 97–123. London: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
   Google Scholar
• Scharaschkin, A., and J. Baird. 2000. “The Effects of Consistency of Performance on A Level Examiners’ Judgements of Standards.” British Educational Research Journal 26 (3): 343–357.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• School Curriculum and Assessment Authority (1996). “Standards at GCSE and A Level.” Press Release, 96/52. 5 December.
   Google Scholar
• School Curriculum and Assessment Authority/Office for Standards in Education. 1996. Standards in Public Examinations 1975 to 1995: A Report on English, Mathematics and Chemistry Examinations over Time. London: School Curriculum and Assessment Authority.
   Google Scholar
• School Examinations and Assessment Council. 1993. A and AS Examinations 1992: General Scrutiny Report. London: School Examinations and Assessment Council.
   Google Scholar
• Secondary School Examinations Council. 1932. The School Certificate Examination. Being the Report of the Panel of Investigators Appointed by the Secondary School Examinations Council to Enquire into the Eight Approved School Certificate Examinations Held in the Summer of 1931. London: HMSO.
   Google Scholar
• Shackleton, J. R. 2014. “The History of Qualifications and the Role of Competition.” In Tests Worth Teaching To: Incentivising Quality in Qualifications and Accountability, edited by G. H. Sahlgren, 6–27. London: Centre for Market Reform of Education.
   Google Scholar
• Smithers, A. 2005. Do School Exams Need Reforming? Buckingham: University of Buckingham Centre for Education and Employment Research.
   Google Scholar
• Stringer, N. S. 2012. “Setting and Maintaining GCSE and GCE Grading Standards: The Case for Contextualised Cohort-referencing.” Research Papers in Education 27 (5): 535–554.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Tattersall, K. (2002). “Statement Given to Education and Skills Committee. Session 2002-03, 28 October 2002. Education and Skills – Minutes of Evidence.” https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmselect/cmeduski/153/2102801.htm
   Google Scholar
• Tattersall, K. 2007. “A Brief History of Policies, Practices and Issues Related to Comparability.” In Techniques for Monitoring the Comparability of Examination Standards, edited by P. E. Newton, J. Baird, H. Goldstein, H. Patrick, and P. Tymms, 43–87. London: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
   Google Scholar
• Taylor, R., and D. Opposs. 2018. “Standard Setting in England: A Levels.” In Examination Standards: How Measures and Meanings Differ around the World, edited by J. Baird, T. Isaacs, D. Opposs, and L. Gray, 100–113. London: Trentham Books.
   Google Scholar
• Telegraph View (2012). “Exams Have Failed Us for Far Too Long.” The Telegraph. 29 April.
   Google Scholar
• The Telegraph (2009). “A-level Results: Grade Inflation Is Just a Cruel Confidence Trick.” The Telegraph. 20 August.
   Google Scholar
• The Telegraph (2012). “Fury as A-level and GCSE Examiners Told to ‘Fix’ Results – Teachers Fear Talented Children Will Be Held Back by Plans to Limit the Number of Pupils Able to Get a Top A-level or GCSE Grade.” The Telegraph. 6 August.
   Google Scholar
• Townsend, M., and M. Bright (2003). “Schools Hit by Fresh A-level Results Row”. The Guardian. 27 July.
   Google Scholar
• Tymms, P., and C. Fitz-Gibbon. 2001. “Standards, Achievement and Educational Performance: A Cause for Celebration?” In Education, Reform and the State, edited by R. Phillips and J. Furlong, 156–173. London: RoutledgeFalmer.
   Google Scholar
• University of Buckingham. (2010). “A-levels: Rising Grades and Changing Subjects.” BBC News. 20 August.
   Google Scholar
• Waddell, J. 1978. School Examinations. Report of the Steering Committee Established to Consider Proposals for Replacing the General Certificate of Education Ordinary-level and Certificate of Secondary Education Examinations by a Common System of Examining. Cmnd 7281-I. London: HMSO.
   Google Scholar
• Wiseman, S. 1961. “The Efficiency of Examinations.” In Examinations and English Education, edited by S. Wiseman, 133–164. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
   Google Scholar
• Woodward, W. (2007). “Balls to Free Exam Watchdog to Tackle Dumbing down Claims.” The Guardian. 26 September.
   Google Scholar
• Zwick, R. 1991. “Effects of Item Order and Context on Estimation of NAEP Reading Proficiency.” Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice 10 (3): 10–16.
   Google Scholar
• Zwick, R. 1992. “Statistical and Psychometric Issues in the Measurement of Educational Achievement Trends: Examples from the National Assessment of Educational Progress.” Journal of Educational Statistics 17 (2): 205–218.
   Google Scholar