Assessment Ordinance: Good Practice Guidance
Good Practice Guidance: PDF version
This guidance has been written to accompany the new Ordinance for Assessment Formats and to support colleagues at the point of assessment design. It provides information on how to develop assessments that create a more coherent and supported student assessment experience. While primarily written for those responsible for designing assessments, it can also serve as a resource for others involved in the assessment process or anyone interested in good assessment design practices.
The guide is organised to first provide an overview of good assessment design principles. This section explores: programme-level assessment strategy; aligning assessment with teaching activities and learning outcomes; the important role of formative assessment; support for supervisors; communication of assessment expectations and marking criteria; and reducing barriers through inclusive assessment design. The document then offers specific guidance on the five assessment formats in the Ordinance to support colleagues with considerations and recommendations relevant to each format. Additionally, the guidance includes case studies from assessment practices at Cambridge, which are discussed both in relation to the overarching principles of good practice in the initial overview section and as aligned with the individual assessment formats they illustrate.
Overall, this guidance aims to support educators in creating assessment strategies that are coherent, valid, and inclusive, ensuring assessments are meaningful and supportive of student learning. For more information on the expectations for each of the five assessment formats, please see the Ordinance for Assessment Formats on the Education Quality & Policy Office website.