Inside Exams

Writing questions: setting the setting

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Episode notes

Why are some exam questions written in context? And how do writers make sure those contexts won’t advantage certain students over others? Mike, one of AQA’s Lead Assessment Writers for GCSE Physics, tells Craig Barton how he comes up with interesting contexts, and Laurie Luscombe, a maths teacher at The Blue Coat School in Oldham, explains how he cleverly teaches them in the classroom.

The British Library teaching resources: https://www.bl.uk/teaching-resources

20 ideas for enriching students' cultural capital: https://www.teachitenglish.co.uk/resources/ks3/20-teaching-ideas-for/planning-and-assessment/20-ideas-for-enriching-students-cultural-capital/35070

The National Theatre teaching resources: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/learning/schools/secondary-and-fe/resources

The National Portrait Gallery teaching resources: https://www.npg.org.uk/learning/digital

Science Museum teaching resources: https://learning-resources.sciencemuseum.org.uk/resources/?keystage=ks4