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Application of Number
What needs to be covered?
Assessment requirements
Part A of the standards shows the underpinning knowledge and techniques.
It is really a syllabus and defines the range and depth of topics that
need to be learned. Not all of Part A needs to be included in the portfolio,
but it does give a guide to the sort and complexity of skills that should
be included in the portfolio. For more information please see the QCA
Guidance for Part A .
Part B of the standards lays down the minimum requirements for the portfolio.
All of Part B needs to be evidenced in the portfolio.
Preparing students for the Application of Number tests
The external assessment of Application of Number is a multiple-choice
test at Levels 1 and 2, and a written test comprising some short and some
longer answers at Levels 3 and 4.
The key skills test at Levels 1 and 2 in Application of Number is the
same tests that is set for Adult Numeracy at these levels.
The best preparation for the external tests at all levels is through
the teaching and learning of the underpinning skills in Part A and being
aware of the links between the levels, specifications, standards and curricula.
You should not base test preparation solely on exemplar tests (available
from the QCA website), as each of these will only sample from the full
range of what can be tested. However, to ensure that your students are
confident about sitting the tests and have the best possible chance of
passing, you will find it useful to teach them something about the following
issues.
- Time-management skills
- Tackling multiple-choice questions (Levels 1 and 2 only). In particular,
encourage students to:
- go through the paper tackling all the easy questions first, and
leaving the trickier ones until later. This allows students to gain
confidence as well as getting time in hand
- always cross off the impossible options so that if it comes to
a guess later on, the probability of getting it correct is improved
- make sure that all questions are answered – there is no
penalty for an incorrect answer
- Linking the number of marks available for a question to the length
and depth of the answers given (Levels 3 and 4 only)
- What to do about questions they don't understand or find difficult.
This will involve teaching some problem-solving techniques (see LSDA
publication Talking of number for some ideas on this). This
is also linked to time-management skills - if the question remains unsolved
after the allotted time, it is always best to leave it and return later
towards the end of the exam, time permitting.
Some strategies to improve students' test techniques
- Use quizzes and games to test underpinning skills
- Make use of timed-test practice, initially using only parts of papers
- Read Chief Examiners' reports (available from awarding bodies) and
focus your preparation on the areas that they identify as the most problematic
- Try self- and peer-marking of answers; students are usually their
own harshest critics
- If you can't get enough past papers or exemplars write your own questions
using the test guidance on the QCA website
- Get the students to attempt to write some questions either individually
or in pairs and then use the questions to test each other. This helps
to demystify the process and will make them realise that there are actually
a fairly limited number of possible question types for each topic.
Keep the tests in proportion in relation to your approach to the Application
of Number key skill. The tests are there to corroborate the portfolio
evidence, so reassure your students that, if they have learned and practised
the underpinning skills, they will be able to pass the test.
Differentiation and progression between levels
As with all key skills, progression through the levels of Application
of Number is related to three main strands. As students move up through
the levels, they are expected to:
- draw on more complex and a wider range of techniques
- take a more active role in the planning process
- justify the decisions taken and the methods used.
Progression through the levels is demonstrated by the increased ability
of candidates to internalise the cycle of:
Collect - Process - Interpret
with these three elements corresponding to the three sections of Part
B of the standards.
You will need to identify exactly which skills your students will need
to develop. This will depend on the level that they are working towards.
For example Level 2 students will need to be able to construct pie charts,
whilst Level 1 students will not.
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