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WHAT WE DO

ASSESSMENT PHILOSOPHY

Aga Khan University Examination Board holds an assessment philosophy that revolves around three principles that serve as an international benchmark for high quality assessments. The aim is to ensure that the results AKU-EB announces are valid, reliable, and fair. We accomplish this with a series of policies and processes that form the basis of quality assurance to ensure these principles are lived up to.

Validity is defined as the alignment of our examination material with the syllabi upon which each exam is based. Our goal is to ensure that students are tested on the knowledge and skills they have acquired, as well as ensuring that our examinations are representative of the entirety of the syllabus.

We ensure reliability by using technology to score Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). In addition, the e-marking system ensures student anonymity, fairness and inter-rater agreement when grading Constructed Response Questions (CRQs) and Extended Response Questions (ERQs). International benchmarks are achieved for measures of reliability. Any other warning trends such as notable differences between MCQ and CRQ results for any student are treated as being enough reason to individually recheck their results.

The fairness principle ensures that grading should never be subject to personal bias, and that it should not discriminate against students on the basis of gender, geographical region or their socio-economic status.

​E-MARKING​

To maintain the highest level of integrity and transparency during the assessment and result processes, AKU-EB uses a seeding process and an exclusive e-marking software. These processes not only maintain the anonymity of students to the e-markers, but also preserve the maximum level of transparency which empowers students to achieve what they truly deserve.

How Does E-Marking Work?
  • All examination answer booklets are scanned into the e-marking software;
  • The software sends  images of a student’s hand-written answer to subject specialists in the marking team;
  • Each team consists of one senior examiner and five examiners, specialising to evaluate responses to a specific question (all questions are assessed by the guidance of a content  - specific marking scheme);
  • Each student script  is checked by various e-markers to eliminate biasness;
  • All examination scores are analysed by a highly qualified assessment team to ensure that results are error free and meet international quality standards of assessment.

How Does E-Marking Benefit Candidates and Schools?
  • It promotes integrity and reliability of the marking process
  • Eliminates marker biases and ensures inter-rater agreement 
  • Eliminates chances of errors during the marking process
  • Generates reports which assist schools in improving their teaching practices and student learning outcomes.

STUDENT SERVICES

AKU-EB offers a number of unique services that help facilitate students towards resources aimed at helping to create a rich educational experience. 

Learning Support Materials are supplementary services offered by AKU-EB to assist students. These resources include past papers for all subjects, anthologies for Urdu Compulsory, Urdu Asaan and English Literature subjects, a guide for SSC I English Compulsory, resource lists and concept maps for ten subjects, and a command words guide. 

Anthologies and past papers can be requested by students or teachers via forms that can be downloaded from our website, whilst new Syllabi CDs are sent for free to all affiliated schools and to others on request. Additionally, students can use our website to view subject syllabi, pass on individual queries or concerns, view results online, request duplicate admissions cards, and correct any errors in their registered information on our website. 

AKU-EB also works with students and schools in coming up with individually tailored solutions towards any hinderances that they might face. In doing so, we aim to provide all necessary support towards overcoming geographic and logistical obstacles.


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TEACHER DEVELOPMENT

The Aga Khan University Examination Board has a dedicated Teacher Development department which caters to the needs of teachers and affiliated schools by offering professional development opportunities in the areas of pedagogy, content enhancement, learning through scientific inquiry, exam development and assessment (formative and summative) practices for secondary and higher secondary schools in Pakistan. 

Focus is given to training teachers to develop enhanced higher-order cognitive skills in students, improve student achievement of outcomes and create engaged learning environments and motivated students who are critical thinkers and reflective learners. 
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In order to ensure continuous, ongoing comprehensive teacher development programmes, a variety of formats and modes for delivery of professional development are employed. 

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