The Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) is an internationally accredited examinations board responsible for high stakes school assessments. Zimsec is at the heart of Zimbabwe’s education sector, and is widely regarded as a centre of excellence within Africa. Faster and More Secure Question Paper Development In 2017 Zimsec wanted to strengthen their security, increase the quality of their assessments, and boost the efficiency of their examination production processes. The Zimsec Board and Senior Management therefore decided to find an electronic item banking system. Their aim was to deliver better quality examination content, reduce the risk of leakages and ensure tighter […]
Alice Leigh
AEAA 2022: Experiences from the Question Paper Development Revolution
We are proud to be helping many of these awarding organisations to tackle the biggest challenges to the security and efficiency processes underpinning their question paper development.
Find out more about how these changes have been achieved.
5 tools that will save you months of test development time
The quality assurance that makes great assessments possible also needs efficient management of test development processes.
This is why the most forward-thinking organisations are focussing on improving their workflows with an ‘authoring first’ approach to systems innovation.
The 10 user roles that can make exam authoring 10x smoother
We have recently expanded the range of user roles in our authoring management toolkit. Developed with input from the leading awarding bodies we work with, these tools reduce the admin burden of manually assigning permissions and passing over work.
Smart tools for credible, valid, and reliable assessment in Higher Education
It is the ultimate goal of assessment development that every paper and result be as credible, reliable, and valid as possible.
This is more important than ever in light of the May 2022 revisions to the quality and standards conditions of registration from the Office for Students.
No more lost edits: How assessment developers can get total version control
The more eyes you can get on each test, the better chance you have of spotting and removing errors. However, you run the risk of vital feedback getting lost or missed along the way.
GradeMaker Pro offers a number of features to help you address this risk and run rigorous quality assurance processes more efficiently.
5 tips for scaling up your EPA Knowledge Tests
If you offer End Point Assessments (EPAs) for UK apprenticeship schemes, it’s likely your EPA Plan will include some form of Knowledge Test.
In this article, Shaun Crowley from GradeMaker provides five tips for improving the efficiency of your test development process, so you can scale up your operations while meeting your regulatory obligations.
Two proactive ways to navigate the print or on-screen assessment impasse
Many assessment developers are hesitant to jump into the world of e-testing with both feet, wary of its potential impact on the quality, reliability, or security of their assessments.
This guide will give you some options for futureproofing your processes one step at a time to make the transition more manageable.
The 3 common security flaws putting exam content at risk – and how to fix them
Awarding bodies now face more online security risks than ever. In this guide our Chief Technology Officer, Jim Allen, outlines the 3 most common security risks in exam authoring, and how your awarding organisation can address them.
Digital evolution in item banking: How awarding bodies are developing their high-stakes assessments more efficiently
Item banking is becoming increasingly popular.
In this article we’ll summarise why assessment banking is proving a successful approach for high-stakes exam providers.