Assessment and Evaluation of Essay-type Chemistry Questions in Japanese University Entrance Exams: Through an Analysis of GCE A-Level Examination in England

Abstract

The aim of this study is to propose ways of assessment and evaluation that emphasize the ability to think and express oneself in high school chemistry. First, we compared chemistry questions from the Japanese university-specific examinations and the GCE A-Level examination in England. We found that the characteristics of the GCE A-Level examination are such that the essay-type questions use various sentence expressions which are used in easy questions, and that most of the calculation questions require students to describe the derivation process. Based on the above, we conducted a case study of a GCE A-Level essay-type calculation question with Japanese high school students and investigated the characteristics of their answers and their causes. The following findings were gained. When we set essay-type calculation questions, giving independent marks with 1 mark increments was effective. This is because when the marks for the questions are low and there is not enough time left, students tend not to answer them, which makes it difficult to evaluate the students’ ability to think and express themselves. It is preferable to make students understand the assessment and evaluation method by using an evaluation rubric and informed assessment when we introduce essay-type questions.