The summer is fast approaching and with it exams. Whether your students are entering GCSE, A-level, Common Entrance or some other qualification, the exam which presents more hassle than any other is the speaking test.
You must take each student out of the class one by one for the exam whilst a supply teacher keeps the rest productively occupied. When the tape is recorded, forms must be filled out, and the tape accurately labelled and posted to the correct location (in the case of some exams, to several different locations depending on the candidate!). Each track number must be carefully noted with the candidate’s name and number. Once sent off, no record of the exam is available for the school’s reference and the student will never get to listen to his own performance. Due to postage and processing times, it’s often weeks or months before results are received from the exam board or moderators.
Here at Schoolshape, we decided to dedicate our first product to solving these problems comprehensively. Using Schoolshape Examination Entry:
- No paper forms are required and much information is filled out automatically.
- There is no need to keep record of track numbers against student names
- All audio is recorded at CD quality
- Submission to examiners/moderators is instantaneous
- The exam is available to the school before, during and after marking and moderation
- No postage, parcelling, etc.
- Examination/moderation results are available immediately, subject to restrictions by the exam boards
- Examinations are stored indefinitely, forming a permanent part of the student’s e-portfolio.
In 2009, we made a customized version for use with the Common Entrance Speaking Test. A pilot scheme was launched in 8 prep schools in May, and exams were submitted to 34 senior schools. You can read the positive reviews given by both junior and senior schools.
The procedure for entering an exam is simple. No software installation is necessary! Simply go to schoolshape.com/login and log in.
First, a list of the students’ names is pasted into the system.
Next, click ‘enter exam’ and select your exam from the list provided. The next screen helps you fill in details required by the exam board. As many details will be the same for most students, the first item you enter in each column will be copied down automatically, and you can then edit any exceptions. The following screen is for the Common Entrance exams:
You have successfully entered the exam. When you are ready to start the exam, plug a microphone into the computer and click ‘Start Exam’. You will see a screen similar to that below:
You may wish to start by making a test recording to check your microphone is working. Click the round ‘record’ button on the tape and record your test. Schoolshape will warn you if the recording level is too low. You can play it back by pressing the triangular ‘play’ button. When you are satisfied, click on the first student’s name and call them in to record the exam.
The common entrance exam is marked internally by junior schools and moderated by senior schools. As shown above, teachers can mark as they go along, or come back and mark all candidates later. Obviously, this is not necessary for exams marked externally!
When exactly exams and moderations become available is a decision for the exam board. Common Entrance exams are available to senior schools for moderation the morning after they are recorded, and moderations are available immediately to junior schools in real time. At the discretion of the exam board and school, exams can be made available securely to students, especially useful for subscribers of the Schoolshape Language Lab.
Following the success of our pilot scheme in 2009, the majority of 2010 Common Entrance Speaking Tests will be recorded using this system. At the time of writing, 108 senior schools (over 90%) have confirmed they will be accepting submissions online, and over 150 junior schools have registered to use it, with more than 50 having already used it for mock exams this year. Please see our latest customer list for the latest figures.
Once online examination entry becomes commonplace, many exciting possibilities open up for teachers and exam boards. For example: simultaneous recording of exams, better implementation of random sampling, assessment by overseas native speaking examiners, live detection of marking bias, statistical analyses and automatic computer evaluation of pronunciation.
We now wish to approach other exam boards in the UK and abroad - we know that our technology has the potential to save many teachers much time and effort, as well as saving time and money for exam boards. However, we are a small company and it is sometimes difficult to have our voices heard. If you wish to submit your speaking exams using Schoolshape, please get in contact with us. You can learn more about Schoolshape Examination Entry from the links below, or attend one of our induction meetings.
Information for senior schools wishing to moderate Common Entrance Speaking Tests online
