Marking criteria outline the knowledge, skills and application you expect the student to demonstrate at the completion of an assessment task. They should not simply restate the assessment tasks but articulate the learning required to achieve the subject learning outcomes. Developing clear criteria explicitly communicates to the students the elements the task is assessing and what you will prioritise when grading assessments. Telling students what you value helps them to understand and produce what’s needed but also shares the responsibility for their learning and assessment.
1. Begin by analysing your assessment task and learning outcomes.
Once you have a clear idea of the expectations of your learning outcomes and assessment task identify the 4-5 main observable elements you are looking for in students' responses. These should match the skills, knowledge and application in your learning outcomes and assessment task.
2. Write your marking criteria.
Criteria should:
The example below shows the colour coded alignment of the component parts of the learning outcome and the criterion. The green text is what you want students to ‘do’, the red text is what you want students to ‘know’, and the blue text is the ‘context’ of that knowledge.
Criterion | Learning outcome |
---|---|
Critical analysis of the application of the identified political behaviour including the strategies and tactics employed. | Be able to critically analyse the application of political strategies in organisations |
3.Once you have written your criteria take the time to review them and ensure:
This PowerPoint on writing criteria and standards may help.
Sources to assist you in developing criteria could include:
Once you've written your criteria, the next step is to develop the performance standards.