AQA special
Assessment objective 1 Keeping sight of the target
Richard Gray focuses on the particular demands of assessment objective 1
Building things is a complicated business. Opening a box and trying to put things together without looking at the instructions only leads to disappointment and frustration unless we know and understand what we are doing. This is the purpose of instructions.
Studying for A-levels comes with a complicated set of instructions too. The technical term for the whole package is ‘specification’. The specification explains everything about the course and how it should be followed. During the course it is important to refer back to the specification for the best outcome.
Your A-level specification
The AQA specification is divided into clear sections. The two most important sections for you are ‘3 Subject content’ and ‘4 Scheme of assessment’ — that is, what you have to study and how you will be tested.
It may seem boring to have to refer to these constantly throughout the course, but the key is to bring the instructions alive and make them relevant. This could change the way you study or at least remind you of what you are doing already.
What are assessment objectives?
One of the most important aspects of A-level study is to be totally aware of the assessment objectives (AOs) for the course. These are the tools by which your progress is measured. Your written work is given a level from 0–7 depending on how well you have done in relation to what a question asked you to do.
Within these levels you are awarded marks by an examiner and once marks are totalled the examination board awards you a grade. It may sound complicated but in reality it is quite simple: ‘This is what the examination board want to see and this is how we measure it.’
How do AOs work?
The main task for teachers and students is to focus on these assessment objectives throughout the course. Why can this be difficult? Sometimes the list of content for a particular unit of study can mask the objectives and take priority. I have often heard teachers and students talk about the specification when what they really mean is the unit subject content.
Have a look at the AQA specification for religious studies. The subject content (section 3) is clearly marked and separated from the scheme of assessment (section 4) and the assessment objectives. However, remember that the subject content and assessment objectives combined form a ‘package deal’ and are the heart of the specification. In theory they go hand in hand, but in practice how do they interact in the classroom or in personal study?
Using the specification
There are different approaches to this:
■ Bolt on: some students stick the assessment objectives or the subject content in the front of exercise books or folders. They may even be in a separate section. This is a ‘bolt on’ approach if they are then left unattended while the content is worked through.
■ Last minute: another approach is to focus on the AOs in revision at the end of study when past questions and mark schemes are brought out, but the danger is that this is too late.
■ Integration: the best practice that I have seen is an integrated approach where the subject content (whether for AO1 or AO2) is constantly reviewed in light of the assessment objectives, through tasks and activities that may well incorporate past papers and mark schemes but not necessarily so. In this article we will look at AO1. This is worth two thirds of the marks awarded at AS and just under two thirds of the marks awarded for A2. Hopefully we can gain a better understanding of what AO1 means and develop a few strategies for bringing it alive in the content of the course.
AO1
The AQA specification states that AO1 is the ability to:
‘Select and demonstrate clearly relevant knowledge and understanding through the use of evidence, examples and correct language and terminology appropriate to the course of study.’
What does this mean? Basically it demands that anyone who studies A-level religious studies must have ‘knowledge’ and ‘understanding’. These two aspects are distinct but mutually supportive.
Knowledge has to be clearly relevant. If the specification subject content or an examination question asks about Aquinas’ cosmological argument for the existence of God, then to describe who Aquinas was is not required. Background information may be useful for context and to enhance understanding, but it is not clearly relevant for assessment.
In addition, a student may know that Aquinas’ third way for the cosmological argument is the argument from possibility and necessity but this does not necessarily mean that the same student understands what the argument is about. To demonstrate the latter, more than a statement is required, which is where expression, explanation and the use of evidence and examples come in.
Selection
Selection is vital, which is why ‘select’ is the first word for AO1. Given the time available in an examination, it is essential to select only the material that is relevant and not have any waste. Selection is an important skill and one that needs constant practice at A-level.
Selection is the first objective for study in terms of content and this is why following the subject content list in the specification is important. At the same time selection remains a skill and, if underdeveloped, could lead to the trap of rehearsing answers from previous questions that may not be completely relevant to the specific question in front of you. While that preparation might enable you to cover some of the expected content for AO1, such an answer would not meet the refined criteria for the highest level of response and therefore would not be an answer that truly understands the demands of the question and the specific subject content asked for. Selection is all about choosing the relevant knowledge, evidence and examples.
When you are invited to an interview you prepare some answers based on a generic set of questions such as ‘Why are you applying for the job?’, ‘What strengths do you have?’ and so on. This interview preparation skill is like the ‘selection’ at AO1. Any answer you give in an interview needs to be concise, focused and relevant but at the same time well explained with evidence and examples. This is precisely what AO1 selection involves and why it is an important, but often overlooked, skill for A-level religious studies. It is, in fact, an important skill for life.
Demonstration
Understanding also needs to be present in any AO1 answer, which is why the word ‘demonstrate’ is used. In other words, you need to provide an explanation using evidence and examples to demonstrate the quality of your understanding.
Think of it this way. A bank may allow an individual to borrow money, but when it is repaid it is always with interest — that is, with something extra. In the same way, you learn from the subject content but do not just give back the content — you provide the ‘interest’ through your own personal demonstration of what you understand. This is why I have always advocated personal explanation over rote learning. Rote learning helps to remember things but it needs to go together with the skill of personal explanation in order to demonstrate the highest level of understanding.
Wider reading with focus
When teachers refer to ‘teaching to the specification’, it suggests that they teach only relevant material as identified by the specification subject content. However, there is a danger with this understanding.
The specification subject content list is there as guidance for assessment, not to prescribe specific parameters for knowledge.
The fact that AO1 specifies evidence and examples allows for wider reading by students. The important thing to remember is the relevant focus for knowledge and understanding. For example:
■ In the context of the Sangha (AS Unit J subject content point 4), the focus for knowledge and understanding is in how the Sangha is a refuge, how it operates on a lay and monastic level and how the relationship between the lay and monastic elements works.
■ In situation ethics (AS Unit A subject content point 2) you might read about the historical context and changing attitudes towards morality in the twentieth century, but the focus for knowledge and understanding would remain the principles of Fletcher’s theory and its practical applications.
■ In atheism and postmodernism (AS Unit C subject content point 4), the issue of the rise of atheism has a wealth of interesting material to access. However, the focus for knowledge and understanding would be clearly contextualised within the areas of science, empiricism, evil, morality and other faiths and any evidence and examples related to these themes.
Past papers
Past questions and mark schemes are excellent tools for teaching and learning. You should study and work through these during your course, as they provide an insight into what is expected. However, see them for what they are — exemplars of what a good answer could contain — and remember that rote learning of notes for answers found in mark schemes detracts from the real mark scheme, which is the application of the levels of response that measure how far you select relevant knowledge and demonstrate understanding of it.
Developing AO1 skills
Now that you are aware of what AO1 is and what it requires, here are three tips for keeping focused on the assessment objective throughout your A-level course.
Following these suggestions will help you to personalise your knowledge and enhance your understanding:
■ Two minutes to say: select an appropriate topic or question and time your response in explaining that topic or answer to a friend. This is difficult but with practice improves both confidence and understanding. Start in pairs and expand the group gradually. You could record your answer and review it. What did you select?
What did you miss?
■ A list of key words: select an appropriate topic or question and list five or ten important things to explain. Justify your selection. This develops both selection and demonstration skills by prioritising areas and then assessing your choices.
■ Think it over in your head: select an appropriate topic or question and encourage yourself to think through what you would select and explain. The more you do this the more your understanding will develop.
Used in conjunction with revision flashcards, this also helps to iron out gaps in your understanding and knowledge.
Summary checklist
As you progress through your A-level course, ask yourself the following questions:
■ Do I know which material I need? (‘Select…relevant knowledge’)
■ Can I express this material? (‘demonstrate clearly…understanding’)
■ Can I give evidence and examples to show what I know and understand?
■ Do I use the correct religious/ethical/ philosophical language?
The rest, then, is up to you.
This ‘AQA special’ is the responsibility of RELIGIOUS STUDIES REVIEW and has been neither provided nor approved by AQA.