Workload, Quality information and Computer scoring of MCQ and SAQ
May 25, 2026 by Doug McCurry from BooBook Education
Workload, Quality information and Computer scoring of MCQ and SAQ
I have long been opposed to the old forms of computer scoring of writing, but the advent of AI in the form of Large Language Models means that the usefulness of computer scoring of writing is now, for me at least, an open question. But I will leave that issue for another blog.
Using MCQ and SAQ for teaching and learning in VCE English - 2
May 10, 2026 by Doug McCurry from BooBook Education
Using MCQ and SAQ for teaching and learning in VCE English - 2
Q and A for Section C of the 2025 English exam
Below are 12 multiple choice and 10 short answer questions about the Section C text used in the English exam of 2025.
Using MCQ and SAQ for teaching and learning in VCE English - 1
May 10, 2026 by Doug McCurry from BooBook Education
Using MCQ and SAQ for teaching and learning in VCE English - 1
I have discussed in an earlier blog the workload benefits for English teachers of using Multiple choice (MCQ) and short answer questions (SAQ), particularly for formative assessment. Having had a good deal of experience writing MCQ and SAQ I have become convinced of the potential heuristic value of good closed and semi-closed test items. I have argued in a previous blog that preparing for the GAT can be a valuable educational opportunity for students and teachers. This goes against the claim (implied by the VCAA) that you do not have to prepare for tests like the GAT, and that students (and teachers?) can just let it happen.
What did you think of the Section A topics in the exam report for 2025?
April 23, 2026 by Doug McCurry from BooBook Education
What did you think of the Section A topics in the exam report for 2025?
On the whole I have the impression that Section A in recent years has had fewer dud questions of the kind that offer topics for discussion that are non-issues or that are awkwardly framed issues. But the Section A topics have changed markedly in recent years to be narrower and as a result they are in general more awkward for students to deal with in my view than those of earlier years. Having recently read all the exam reports for the last 25 years it is not clear why there has been this narrowing of questions in recent years or the rationale for it.
Can we learn anymore from another set of stellar Section B exam responses in 2025 than in 2024?
March 23, 2026 by Doug McCurry from BooBook Education
The Section B examples in the VCE English exam reports of 2024 and 2025
I claimed in a previous blog that there was little commentary in the report of 2024 about the difficult issues in preparing for this new and complicated task. I also claimed that we could learn little from the published examples that would have any meaning for two thirds of students. The same is true of the sixteen stellar responses offered in the report of 2025.
