Learner Panels
Last updated on: 21/10/2009
Ofqual has been holding a series of Learner Panels around the country to discover exactly what learners think about the qualification, test and assessment system.
Learner panels: what are they?
Learner panels are informal focus group which take part in different part of the country. Learner panels were set up to give Ofqual a snapshot of what learners think about issues affecting the qualifications system, and what life is like in different learning setting. Ofqual has so far consulted adult, secondary and primary age learners, who have been asked about:
- What they expect from Ofqual
- The reliability of results
- Using technology in exams and assessments
- How exams can be made more accessible for learners who struggle in school.
Ofqual has worked with the UK Youth Parliament, NUS (National Union of Students), NYA (National Youth Agency), NLP (National Learner Panel) Essa (English Secondary School Association) and the Phoenix Education Trust to stage the panels. Learners in the Midlands, Devon and Newcastle have been consulted.
Latest learner panel: Reliability (July 2009)
Learners advise: "Five exams in seven days" can affect reliability of results
Ofqual met with members of the UK Youth Parliament at their annual sitting in Canterbury in July to ask their opinions on the reliability of exam results. This work was part of Ofqual's Reliability Programme, which aims to discover more about the variability of the results of exams, tests and assessments.
UKYP members told Ofqual about their perception of the reliability of results, including:
- Factors which could affect reliability: learners' concerns largely centred on the amount of exams they do close together, which they felt may affect their performance.
- How reliability could be improved: learners spoke about the need for double or triple marking to eliminate occurances of marker error.
- How exam results make them feel: learners spoke of the pressure they were under, including feeling of failure when they did not get high marks.
Photos from the event:
Watch a video of the day.
Reliability: what learners think
Kishan, 16, UK Youth Parliament member for Brent, gave Ofqual a perspective of reliability from a learner's viewpoint. He said: "So far in my life I have take SATS, music exams and more recently GCSEs. I personally didn't feel the reliability of results to be an issue – I felt well prepared for my exams and I thought my grades reflected this. Having said that, I do think that other factors can reflect the results you get. For example, people suffering from nerves is an issue in all exams, as is pressure, as sixth form colleges always require good grades for places. It's hard to say how far the actions or mood of the marker may affect a result, as I haven't seen my scripts, but the timing of exams affected me in the first week of June, when I had seven exams in five days.
"I think that maths and sciences have the most reliable results as the answers are yes or no. In other subjects like history, where research is required, more weight should be given to coursework to improve the reliability of results."
For more information email reliabilityprogramme@ofqual.gov.uk
Learner panel: Learners who struggle in mainstream schools (June 2009)
Youth workers not teachers should advise on exams, say learners.
Young people who have experience of struggling in mainstream education met with learners to discuss how to make taking qualifications easier for those who are not in school.
Ofqual travelled to Newcastle to meet up with young people as part of a learner panel organised with the National Youth Agency (NYA). Participants spoke of their difficulty finding out which qualifications would be best for them if they were not at schools. They advised that youth workers rather than teachers should give advice on examinations and that qualifications should be split into "bite-sized" pieces to allow students to learne at their own rate. They also mentioned how they believed the Diploma could suit people who struggled in school, by providing the link between academic and vocational work.
Watch a video or read a report on the day.
For more information contact Annette.kinsella@ofqual.gov.uk.
Previous learner panels
See our archive section for more information on previous learner panels.
