We’ve teamed up with teacher and podcaster, Craig Barton to create a podcast series which takes us deep under the skin of exams.
Find out how exam questions are developed, discover what happens behind the scenes at AQA and get to the heart of the latest issues as teachers bring us their stories and experiences, direct from the classroom.
Listen to every episode right here, or on your favourite podcast app. Then, be sure to come back and check out the extra resources complementing each of the main episodes.
Unit Award Scheme: 12,000 paths to achievement
Adrienne Nichols explains how AQA’s Unit Award Scheme is helping students to achieve more positive outcomes. With thousands of paths available, students are using the scheme to develop their academic and social skills.
Hungry examiners and GCSE memes
Craig speaks to AQA’s Social Media Manager, Raquel Gomez Frias, to learn how social media can both help and hinder the exam process. School teacher Jon Sellick explains how he helps students manage the post-exam impact of social media.
AQA Unlocking Potential: barriers to barrister
Haleemah Farooq talks about her experiences of living with a visual impairment and explains how the AQA Unlocking Potential programme helped set her on an exciting career path.
De-icing with death and Jane Eyre’s flamingos
AQA Head of Curriculum for English, Deborah Pearson discusses the importance of cultural capital when studying texts and explains how effective back planning can help students untangle a text from its context.
Talking my language
Craig is joined by AQA’s Assessment Design Manager, Georgina Holmes, who explains why the words used in exam questions are so important. We also drop in on teacher, Kate Brewer to discover some of the techniques she employs in the classroom to help students with English as an additional language.
Macaroni and 36-point font
Craig catches up with AQA’s Sue Barnbrook to understand how exams are made accessible to students with special requirements. Discover how pasta, pens and 36-point font have been used to assist accessibility. School teacher, Mark Grimmett explains his approach to helping students with special requirements access the curriculum.