Designing group assessment

There are common forms of group assessment, suitable for different age levels.

For the Foundation year and year 1, it is best if the teacher describes the task and students write or draw their answers on a prepared response sheet.
From year 2, it is possible to introduce written assessments where the task description and space for answers are both provided on the same sheet.

Whatever format is used, there are some general principles that should be followed.

Choose tasks where students can succeed.
They need to have been in class when the ideas were discussed.
Students should say "This is fun" not "This is hard".
Choose realistic tasks within students' experience.
If a task is unfamiliar, students cannot show what they know.
Use simple language.
If students cannot understand a task, they cannot show what they know.
If the task is too complex to explain easily, use a simpler task.
Allow for students' limited attention span (no more than half an hour).
Use pictures or ICT wherever possible.