Abstract

This thesis addresses the question of how assessment practices can be better understood in relation to individual teacher interpretations of subjective criteria. To achieve this, this research study considers the possible benefits and challenges of using an adaptive comparative judgement (ACJ) approach to the summative assessment of GCSE English students’ creative writing in the FAVE (Further, Adult and Vocational Education) sector.
The extent to which an ACJ approach to assessment can strengthen the fairness, accuracy and integrity of assessment judgements are explored as well as the value of collaborative working and the sharing of assessment judgements in relation to standards, content and quality of students’ work. The research adopts a mixed methods approach, including interviews, to provide insight into teachers’ use of an adaptive comparative judgement approach to assessing creative writing text quality. A justification for viewing these findings through an interpretivist paradigm is advocated, which it seen as central to understanding the nature of this assessment practice.
Much of the discussion centres on ideas of what is meant by good quality, professional expertise, relative educational value within assessment practices, and what makes a judgement correct and meaningful. Findings suggest that teachers draw on internalised quality markers that exist in tacit form when assessing through adaptive comparative judgement, and that a collaborative and dialogic approach to the understanding and sharing of these is crucial if high quality assessment practice is to be fostered and maintained.

Keywords: GCSE English, creative writing, assessment practice, tacit knowledge, adaptive comparative judgement