Every subject has assessment objectives at GCSE and I believe these can be effectively implemented at Key Stage 3 level. In history, the AOs range from subject knowledge and utilising sources to key concepts and analysing interpretations… in fact that’s all four of them. English Literature also has 4 AOs, English Language has a whopping 9 AOs (although some go untested officially), the sciences have 3 each according to their respective subject pages on the AQA website. If we look carefully at performance breakdowns by assessment objectives we can start to see strengths and gaps in our teaching
Every exam board (to my knowledge) has an analytics tool that allows you to see how your students performed in each AO as a total percentage and then compare it to the national average. This is the Enhanced Results Analysis section on E-AQA, probably my favourite part of their website, nerdy right?
To get the most of this took we need to look at breakdowns in the AOs, and in individual questions. In history, it may be that your AO1 and AO2, knowledge and key concepts (causation, significance etc) have been very strong, but when it comes to AO4, utilising interpretations, your class is performing worse. What gives?
Kyle is the Director of History across the Co-op Academy Trust and former Head of Humanities at King's Leadership Academy in Warrington. Kyle is passionate about teaching and learning and wrote a contribution to Michael Chiles' recent book, The Sweet Spot. Follow him on Twitter (@KTG_1990)