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Report on the public perception of reliability in examinations

 

This report is Ofqual's first report on the public perception of reliability in examinations. The report is the result of a small research study conducted by Ipsos MORI and was carried out as part of Ofqual's reliability programme, a two-year study exploring the reliability of the results of examinations, tests and assessments.

Workshops were held with parents, students, employers, examiners, teachers and the general public. 

In conclusion the study suggested a number of points, including:

  • People accept that human error occurs in the examination, test and assessment system
  • Students would like to see professional examiners, as opposed to teachers who are also part-time examiners
  • People, including students, believe learners should be accountable for how they perform on the day (regardless if they feel stressed or unwell)

Carrying out this work also showed that the use of the word 'error' in relation to reliability in examinations can be misleading.

Ofqual will be using this information to inform future communications about reliability. Ofqual intends to commission further research projects later this year and will be publishing a summary report of all the work completed on reliability at the end of the two year programme of work.