Target setting has now become a central feature of teachers' professional life.  With the advent of some pretty robust data for history, we can at last look at likely outcomes for students entering GCSE history with Particulate End of KS3 Average Point Scores. Thanks to...

Little has been written about progression in history at Key Stage 4, almost as if following the GCSE specification would take care of it. As many of you will know, whilst examination groups set out the content in helpful key questions and bullet points, they...

Q1. What is APP? An old idea with a new name?

A1. At present the plans to roll out APP across subjects have been stalled, even at KS3 let alone KS4 but it is still worth considering its intentions, which...

It is interesting to note that most of the recent focus on progression has been placed firmly on Key Stage 3.  Some of us might say that this is because progression from Key Stage 3 to 4 is not always as obvious as it should...

This section focuses mainly on peer assessment as I firmly believe that this is the best way forward at KS4.  Not only are the students usually more mature, they have also had the experience of peer assessment at KS3, thanks not least to the National...

Most teachers, except possibly some  newly-qualified ones, will be familiar with marking KS4 answers.  It is far less tricky than it used to be, given the publication of GCSE mark schemes and textbooks written by Chief Examiners which feature annotated examples of students' answer.  We...

Now that all the exam boards make past papers available on-line, and that textbooks written by Chief Examiners all now feature typical questions and answers, we are not short of past questions to use throughout the GCSE course. The skill lies in planning their inclusion...

The key issues to be aware of at Key Stage 4 relate mainly to the way students are involved in marking their own work. No longer a secret garden of knowledge held by the examiner alone and begrudgingly shared with teachers, the assessment criteria...