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  1. Home
  2. Inside Exams

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De-icing with death and Jane Eyre’s flamingos
AQA Unlocking Potential: barriers to barrister
Unit Award Scheme: 12,000 paths to achievement
The art of moderation
Channelling your annoyance
Post-its, tick. Coffee, tick.
Talking my language
Macaroni and 36-point font
Hungry examiners and GCSE memes
Question the question
London, Paris, Rome and Asmara
Creating choirs and befriending the librarian
The boundaries of electing a new pope
Myth-busting grade boundaries
Mission impossible: naming rainbow colours
Finding a female Fatboy Slim
Reducing gender disparity in the classroom
Guessing your way into dentistry?
What results in 1.2 million certificates?
Preptember
One man. One seventh of England.
Reviewing assessments: a date with data
Standardisation: super-standardise me
Assessment: exercising validity and re-visioning resits
Writing questions: setting the setting
Creating assessments: taking stock and setting mocks
Exam rules: investigations integral to integrity
Exam marking: planting seeds to hit the mark
Future of exams: all Star Trek and holodecks?
Inside exams masthead

Inside Exams

Podcast series two now available

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©AQA 2025 | Company number: 03644723 | Registered office: Devas Street, Manchester, M15 6EX | AQA is not responsible for the content of external sites

AQA Education has obtained an injunction preventing interference with public examinations. This notice is to alert you to the injunction, so that you are aware of it and can make submissions about it if you wish to do so.

Teacher Craig Barton is back with series two of Inside Exams, the podcast that gives you an access all areas pass to snoop around behind the scenes at AQA.

He’ll be meeting the people who write and mark your students’ exams, as well as pioneering teachers, to get answers to all the questions you ponder throughout the school day.

Series 2

  • Published 17 February 2020 | Episode eight

    Future of exams: all Star Trek and holodecks?

    What is the future of assessment? Craig Barton speaks to AQA’s head of assessment design, and head o… Duration: 34 minutes

  • Published 3 February 2020 | Episode seven

    Exam marking: planting seeds to hit the mark

    How does online marking of exam papers work? Pete Hawcroft, AQA’s head of marking, tells Craig Barto…Duration: 36 minutes

  • Published 27 January 2020 | Bonus one

    Exam rules: investigations integral to integrity

    How is malpractice investigated? Bill Johnston and Lalita Handford are both exams integrity leads at AQA; … Duration: 12 minutes

  • Published 13 January 2020 | Episode five

    Creating assessments: taking stock and setting mocks

    Who writes exam questions? Craig Barton talks to AQA’s Assessment Banking Manager, Oli Woodfield, an… Duration: 28 minutes

  • Published 9 December 2019 | Episode four

    Writing questions: setting the setting

    Why are some exam questions written in context? Mike, AQA’s Lead Assessment Writer for GCSE Physics,… Duration: 35 minutes

  • Published 25 November 2019 | Episode three

    Assessment: exercising validity and re-visioning resits

    What makes an assessment valid? Craig Barton asks AQA’s Director of Assessment and Curriculum Dave M… Duration: 37 minutes

  • Published 11 November 2019 | Episode two

    Standardisation: super-standardise me

    What is standardisation? Craig Barton talks to Ian White, AQA’s preparation and support manager, and… Duration: 35 minutes

  • Published 11 November 2019 | Episode one

    Reviewing assessments: a date with data

    How do exam boards review their assessments? Craig Barton gets some answers from AQA’s assessment de… Duration: 35 minutes

Series 1 Summer bonus

  • Published 14 October 2019 | Summer bonus: episode four

    One man. One seventh of England.

    What is a relationship manager? AQA’s Nick Sandeman talks through how he can help you review the pas… Duration: 13 minutes

  • Published 9 September 2019 | Summer bonus: episode three

    Preptember

    Preptember As the new school year begins, what goes on behind the scenes to make sure the start of term goes smoothly… Duration: 14 minutes

  • Published 12 August 2019 | Summer bonus: episode two

    What results in 1.2 million certificates?

    What goes into making results day happen? In this episode, AQA employees talk through their roles bef… Duration: 15 minutes

  • Published 29 July 2019 | Summer bonus: episode one

    Guessing your way into dentistry?

    Series one of Inside Exams might be over, but before we launch into series two, we’re sharing some e… Duration: 11 minutes

Series 1

  • Published 15 July 2019 | Episode eight

    Finding a female Fatboy Slim

    Which subjects have a gender imbalance when it comes to exam entries, and what can be done by exam boards … Duration: 36 minutes

  • Published 8 July 2019 | Episode seven

    Mission impossible: naming rainbow colours

    How are mark schemes written? What are the different types of mark schemes? And how can you make use of ma… Duration: 34 minutes

  • Published 24 June 2019 | Episode six

    The boundaries of electing a new pope

    How are grade boundaries set? Why aren’t they set until after the exam? Craig Barton asks Lesley Mey… Duration: 32 minutes

  • Published 10 June 2019 | Episode five

    Creating choirs and befriending the librarian

    Jennifer Obaditch, AQA’s Head of Curriculum Projects, describes how the EPQ helps students with thei… Duration:35 minutes

  • Published 28 May 2019 | Episode four

    London, Paris, Rome and Asmara

    Craig Barton speaks to AQA’s resident multiple choice questions guru Zeek Sweiry, who reveals the se… Duration: 35 minutes

  • Published 13 May 2019 | Episode three

    Hungry examiners and GCSE memes

    Craig speaks to AQA’s Social Media Manager, Raquel Gomez Frias, to learn how social media can both h… Duration: 34 minutes

  • Published 7 May 2019 | Episode two

    Macaroni and 36-point font

    Craig catches up with AQA’s Sue Barnbrook to understand how exams are made accessible to students wi… Duration: 34 minutes

  • Published 1 May 2019 | Episode one

    Talking my language

    Craig is joined by AQA’s Assessment Design Manager, Georgina Holmes, who explains why the words used… Duration: 34 minutes

Series 1 Bonus

  • Published 1 July 2019 | Bonus: Episode six

    Post-its, tick. Coffee, tick.

    Chief Examiner Gill leads a team of principal examiners writing exam papers for AQA, and she plays a key r… Duration: 15 minutes

  • Published 17 June 2019 | Bonus: Episode five

    Channelling your annoyance

    How does the EPQ help students transition from A-levels to higher education? Southampton University’… Duration: 15 minutes

  • Published 3 June 2019 | Bonus: Episode four

    The art of moderation

    How are art exams marked and moderated? Sandra Allan, AQA’s Head of Curriculum for Creative Arts, an… Duration: 11 minutes

  • Published 20 May 2019 | Bonus: Episode three

    Unit Award Scheme: 12,000 paths to achievement

    Adrienne Nichols explains how AQA’s Unit Award Scheme is helping students to achieve more positive o… Duration: 11 minutes

  • Published 7 May 2019 | Bonus: Episode two

    AQA Unlocking Potential: barriers to barrister

    Haleemah Farooq talks about her experiences of living with a visual impairment and explains how the AQA Un… Duration: 14 minutes

  • Published 2 May 2019 | Bonus: Episode one

    De-icing with death and Jane Eyre’s flamingos

    AQA Head of Curriculum for English, Deborah Pearson discusses the importance of cultural capital when stud… Duration: 14 minutes