Improving Your Sixth Form: 9 Top Tips for Assessment

Foreword from John Philip, Alps Senior Education Consultant

I originally wrote the first edition of 99 Ways to Improve Your Sixth Form in the early 2000s while still teaching at Little Heath School. That decade brought two Ofsted Outstanding judgments, a second SSAT specialism, and a journey that connected me with Alps and PiXL, both of which played significant roles in the development of our sixth form. 

The success of that sixth form and the insights gained from working with schools across the UK and beyond led to what’s now a well-travelled piece of work – continually updated to remain relevant. What strikes me most after 20 years of policy shifts and social change is how enduring the fundamentals of a great sixth form really are.

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Improving Your Sixth Form: 9 Top Tips for Assessment

Effective assessment sits at the heart of every high-performing sixth form. It shapes teaching, informs support, and gives students the clarity they need to improve and succeed. 

In a landscape where accuracy, consistency and insight are more important than ever, getting assessment right is not just about measuring performance – it’s about driving it. 

In this instalment of Improving Your Sixth Form, John Philip shares nine practical, experience-led tips to help schools and colleges strengthen their assessment practice. From improving the accuracy of teacher predictions to making better use of exam analysis and feedback, these strategies are designed to ensure assessment truly supports student progress and achievement. 

Tip 1: Ensure every department regularly reviews their results

Ensure every department regularly reviews their results, considering value-added progress and prediction accuracy as well as attainment. 

• Make sure the analysis also focuses on performance in individual units, as it is far from uncommon for one unit to have a very detrimental impact on overall results
• If this underperformance cannot be explained, ensure that photo-copied scripts are ordered and examiner comments scrutinised

Tip 2: Ensure every department attends feedback meetings

Ensure every department attends feedback and update meetings offered by their examination boards. Clarification on grade descriptors and exemplar materials should be shared with students as well as with colleagues.

Tip 3: Encourage teachers to become assistant examiners for the specification/unit they teach

Support them in doing this by offering flexible working arrangements for times when they are not teaching. Ensure staff share what they have learnt with their department teachers and the students.

Tip 4: Make effective use of anonymised examination scripts

Use anonymised examination scripts and online question analysis to identify areas for staff / departmental development the following year. These can also help to highlight where a topic has been particularly well-taught. Ensure that the teachers responsible are expected to share strategies and resources with colleagues.

Tip 5: Ensure students see a range of exemplars

Show exemplar (A*/A/B/C or D*/D) work to staff and students in all subject areas so everyone is aware of what they are striving towards. Ensure that students see a range of exemplars to encourage them to recognise that there is more than one route to success.

Tip 6: Ensure students are provided with clear information on their performance

• All marking of significant pieces of work should make it crystal clear how students could have achieved the next higher grade
• Encourage departments to use learning checklists that identify the skills and knowledge students need to achieve high grades (for example B or A*) and the extent to which these have been mastered
• Teachers and students should use checklists to identify individual areas of weakness and group insecurities
• Then support and intervention can be targeted far more effectively towards areas of group or individual need

Tip 7:  Ensure full use is made of examination Question Level analysis (QLA) and Chief Examiner Reports

Ensure all subject leaders / teachers are aware of the most common errors that led to students in your school / college and / or nationally lose marks and grades last summer. 

• Try to establish a list in each subject to be displayed on posters and shared in other ways with current students
• If you are in PiXL, their Feed Forward resources do an excellent job of sharing key points from Examiner Reports and suggesting strategies to overcome common pitfalls
• During the year ensure Mocks are marked so that QLA can reveal how well these issues are being overcome and whether new problems to resolve are emerging

Tip 8: Prioritise developing ways to improve consistency and accuracy of teacher assessment

Developing ways to improve the consistency and accuracy of teacher assessment should be a key Post-16 objective for schools and colleges. 

The impact of the pandemic with the award of CAGs & TAGs, the very generous grading in 2022 and the subsequent return to more normal grading has undoubtedly made it more difficult for teachers to predict accurately.

Tip 9:  Plan and share key assignment timings

Make sure sixth form subject leaders publish and adhere to the timing of key assignments to ensure that tutors and mentors can support students in managing their workload. If possible, incorporate these timings in the student planners or on separate posters.

Closing Thoughts from Alps Education

Strong assessment practice is about more than data collection – it’s about using insight to inform action. When assessment is consistent, accurate and clearly communicated, it enables teachers to target support effectively and empowers students to take ownership of their progress. 

These nine tips highlight how thoughtful, well-structured assessment can strengthen teaching, improve outcomes and create a more responsive sixth form environment. 

At Alps Education, we believe that impactful assessment is underpinned by reliable, meaningful data. Tools like Alps Connect support teachers and leaders in analysing performance, refining predictions and identifying areas for intervention – helping to turn assessment insights into improved outcomes for every student.

If you’re looking to enhance assessment practice in your sixth form, we’re here to support you. Book a demo with our team today and discover how Alps can support your improvement journey.

About the author: John Philip

John started working with Alps in 2008, while he was working at Little Heath Comprehensive School. At Little Heath, John used Alps to achieve top 2% performance in value-added progress. Whilst at Little Heath, John worked with schools regionally and nationally through the SSAT Raising Achievement Partnership Programme. Since leaving Little Heath in 2010, John additionally worked as an associate for many secondary schools through PiXL.