Enabling successful communication of

geographical understanding in written assessments

AE SIG

GA Conference 2013

The requirements for the assessment of quality of written communication (QWC) previously appeared in The Statutory Regulation of External Qualifications (2004) under the criteria for the accreditation of GCSEs and GCEs.

GCE assessment arrangements require that:

Where learners are required to produce written material in English, Welsh and Irish (Gaeilge), learners should:

• ensure that text is legible and that spelling, punctuation and grammar are accurate so that meaning is clear;

• select and use a form and style of writing appropriate to

the purpose and the complexity of the subject matter;

• organise information clearly and coherently, using specialist vocabulary when appropriate.

Transparency in the assessment of QWC

• There should be a clear communication to learners as to which assessments will involve the assessment of QWC.

• Examiners should be made aware of when they are to assess QWC through the incorporation of the assessment criteria into mark schemes.

• Marks for spelling, punctuation and the accurate use of grammar must be allocated to written and externally assessed units where there is a requirement for sufficient extended writing to enable the accurate application of the Performance descriptions. The marks allocated must achieve a total weighting of 5% of the total marks for the qualification.

• Marks for spelling, punctuation and the accurate use of grammar will be allocated to individual questions. These marks must be identified to candidates on the question papers.

• No fewer than three marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar should be allocated to any single question.

AQA EDEXCEL OCR

Geography specification AMarks for SPaG will account for 5% of the overall qualification but will only be assessed in Unit 2 (and Short Course Unit 4 in its final sitting in June 2013).Unit 2: nine marks (Short Course Unit 4: six marks)

Edexcel’s GCSE Geography A, SPaG marks will be assessed in Section B of Units 1, 2 and 3. SPaG is not assessed in Unit 4 (controlledassessment).SPaG marks are awarded across Units 1, 2 and 3 in order to give candidates an opportunity to be rewarded for their SPaG across different elements of the subject, rather than having all of the SPaG marks in just one unit examination.The SPaG marks will be allocated to thequestion within each section that offers the most opportunity for the use of extensive technical vocabulary and gives candidates an opportunity to demonstrate their writing skills.

Marks will apply to specific questions, and candidates will be made aware which questions will include marks for accurate Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar.Marks for Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar will contribute approximately 5% of the total marks for the overall qualification.

Geography specification BMarks for SPaG will account for 5% of the overall qualification and will be assessed in Units 1 and 2 - six marks on each paper

Edexcel’s GCSE Geography B, SPaG marks will be assessed in Section C of Units 1, 2 and 3. SPaG is not assessed in Unit 4 (controlledassessment).SPaG marks are awarded across units 1, 2 and 3 in order to give candidates an opportunity to be rewarded for their SPaG across different elements of the subject rather than having all of the SPaG marks in just one unit examination. The SPaG marks have been allocated to the question within each section that offers the most opportunity for the use of extensive technical vocabulary and gives candidates an opportunity to demonstrate their writing skills.

Assessment of spelling, punctuation and the accurate use of grammar

Threshold performance • Candidates spell, punctuate and use the rules of grammar with reasonable

accuracy in the context of the demands of the question. Any errors do not hinder meaning in the response. Where required, they use a limited range of specialist terms appropriately.

Intermediate performance • Candidates spell, punctuate and use the rules of grammar with considerable

accuracy and general control of meaning in the context of the demands of the question. Where required, they use a good range of specialist terms with facility.

High performance • Candidates spell, punctuate and use the rules of grammar with consistent

accuracy and effective control of meaning in the context of the demands of the question. Where required, they use a wide range of specialist terms adeptly and with precision.

SPaG Activity

1. How far does the QWC help or hinder the ability to communicate geographical understanding?2. How accurate is the spelling, punctuation and grammar?

Look at the answers written by students.Award a SPaG mark for each answer.Question C answers are pre-SPaG.

How did you do?

• Question A• 2• 2• Question B• 0• 0

Enabling strategies Oral – if they are to understand fully geography’s concepts, ideas and terminology students must regularly engage in talking about the subject, as well as listening to the teacher and their peers. Talking is often the precursor to both learning and to the production of good quality writing. Questioning that pushes students into higher order thinking and reasoning, often by making them engage in analysis, synthesis, decision making and in formulation conclusion.

The opportunity to ‘play’ with language.

Set tasks that encourage and necessitate an extended form of response.

Good extended writing requires careful structuring, scaffolding and repeated practice.

Memory and construction – opportunities to develop the skill of retaining more than one important point in their short term memory, while making decisions about the status of such information, and then attempting to relate these points to each other before writing.

Relevance and selection – students need to develop the means to select and to justify the selection of different facts or points.

Sorting – sorting and classification helps to develop students’ thinking skills and is an important stage in marshalling information before they attempt to write.

General and particular – practice using evidence to support a position defining ‘larger points’ and ‘smaller points’

The language of discourse – students often need to develop greater sophistication in the form of their writing, and therefore need to be exposed to a variety of texts.

Examples of enabling strategies

Can you readily identify how the example contributes towards enabling students to improve QWC?

ConsiderThe task, The support offered to the studentThe challenge offered to the student

What are the challenges posed in your own situation and how far could any of these ideas be helpful?

“Too often as geography teachers we may be fooled by students who appear to have taken on the ‘language of geography’ but whose written work does not convey a depth of understanding that we might hope would be associated with that language, By helping students’ to develop their extended writing in geography we may be provided with evidence both of their geographical understanding and their emerging thought processes.”

Graham Butt 2001