Reliability of assessment: compendium
Research papers published as Ofqual's 'Reliability Compendium' looking at the reliability of education assessment.
- From:
- Ofqual
- Published
- 16 May 2013
Applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales
Documents
Partial Estimates of Reliability: Parallel Form Reliability in the KS2 Science Tests: Full report
Ref: Ofqual/09/4553
PDF, 438 KB, 40 pages
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Classification Accuracy in Results from Key Stage 2 National Curriculum Tests: Full report
Ref: Ofqual/11/4830
PDF, 211 KB, 22 pages
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Classification accuracy and consistency in GCSE and A Level examinations offered by the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) November 2008 to June 2009: Full report
Ref: Ofqual/11/4823
PDF, 530 KB, 44 pages
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Component reliability in GCSE and GCE: Full report
Ref: Ofqual/11/4780
PDF, 1.6 MB, 86 pages
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Estimates of reliability of qualifications: Full report
Ref: Ofqual/11/4826
PDF, 1.77 MB, 106 pages
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The reliability of results in vocational assessment: the case of work-based certifications: Full report
Ref: Ofqual/11/4824
PDF, 2.03 MB, 52 pages
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A focus on teacher assessment reliability in GCSE and GCE: Full report
Ref: Ofqual/11/4807
PDF, 421 KB, 58 pages
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Parallel universes and parallel measures: estimating the reliability of test results: Full report
Ref: Ofqual/10/4709
PDF, 757 KB, 67 pages
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Conceptualising and interpreting reliability: Full report
Ref: Ofqual/10/4706
PDF, 632 KB, 67 pages
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Estimating the reliability of composite scores: Full report
Ref: Ofqual/10/4703
PDF, 193 KB, 39 pages
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International survey of results reporting: Full report
Ref: Ofqual/10/4705
PDF, 2.12 MB, 56 pages
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Reporting of measurement uncertainty and reliability for US educational and licensure tests: Full report
Ref: Ofqual/10/4759
PDF, 419 KB, 19 pages
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Full technical seminar report
Ref: Ofqual/09/4638
PDF, 58.1 KB, 13 pages
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No news is good news? Talking to the public about the reliability of assessment: Full report
PDF, 19.6 KB, 5 pages
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Public perceptions of reliability in examinations: Full report
PDF, 134 KB, 46 pages
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Public perceptions of reliability: Full report
Ref: Ofqual/10/4708
PDF, 745 KB, 36 pages
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A Quantitative Investigation into Public Perceptions of Reliability in Examination Results in England
Ref: Ofqual/10/4769
PDF, 466 KB, 68 pages
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Final report of the Technical Advisory Group
Ref: Ofqual/11/4825
PDF, 1.2 MB, 80 pages
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Final report of the Policy Advisory Group
Ref: Ofqual/11/4829
PDF, 161 KB, 20 pages
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The Reliability Programme: Final Report
Ref: Ofqual/11/4828
PDF, 1.02 MB, 61 pages
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Details
Public exams have to be fair. It is Ofqual’s job to make sure that candidates get the results they deserve, and that their qualifications are valued and understood in society. Ensuring examination reliability is a key part of this - making sure that candidates obtain a fair result, irrespective of:
- who marks their paper
- what types of questions are used (multiple choice or essay questions)
- which topics are set or chosen to be answered
- when the examination is taken
This consistency of exam results is referred to as reliability: the repeatability of results from one assessment to the next, whether they are assessments taken on different days, or from one year to the next.
In everyday use, ‘reliable’ means ‘that which can be relied on’, but the technical definition in educational assessment is narrower. In assessment, the definition is ‘the extent to which a candidate would get the same test result if the testing procedure was repeated’. The technical definition of reliability is a sliding scale, not black or white, and encourages us to consider the degree of differences in candidates’ results from one instance to the next.