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SUMMARY:Resits in high-stakes examinations: the unusual case of A levels -
  Eva Poon Scott\, School of Education and Social Work\, University of Suss
 ex
DTSTART:20110112T153000Z
DTEND:20110112T170000Z
UID:TALK28383@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Liz Ford
DESCRIPTION:In contrast to many other high-stakes examinations which test 
 students only at the end of a course\, A levels use a modular format where
  students are allowed to resit past units within the two-year sixth-form c
 ourse with no limit or penalty. Since resits were introduced ten years ago
 \, A level performance has been improving steadily. Based on the results o
 f a research study which used a student questionnaire and individual inter
 views of students\, teachers and university admissions tutors\, this prese
 ntation examines how students make resit decisions\, how they improve in r
 esits\, how resits affect their learning and how the resit policy affects 
 the effectiveness of A levels in certifying and selecting students at the 
 end of sixth-form education. The research findings suggest that\, due to a
  lack of appreciation for the rationale behind the modular system\, no con
 trol of resits and the highly competitive nature of selection by universit
 ies\, the resit policy has produced some undesirable effects when it comes
  to actual practice in sixth-form education.  
LOCATION:Cambridge Assessment\, 9 Hills Road\, Cambridge
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