The use of visuals in summative assessment

Abstract

The inclusion of visual resources in exam questions can affect students’ understanding of the task and hence their achievement. While visuals can serve various purposes in testing, they should be thoughtfully designed, with consideration given to their nature and the intended performance outcomes, as well as the characteristics of the students. A review of the literature suggests that caution should be exercised when using visuals in summative assessments, as researchers have mixed views regarding the impact they may have.

This paper provides evidence for AQA item writers to make informed decisions about how to use visual resources, which will help to improve the quality of summative assessment. It is one of a series of research reports contributing to AQA’s work on identifying and documenting new principles on question writing. The research evidence is intended to guide the design, production and implementation of future AQA assessments.

Keywords

• Accessibility
• Assessment Design
• Attainment
• Fairness
• Validity