A. Unstructured essay
B. Structured essay
C. Short answer
D. Multiple type questions
Answer is = A
You are absolutely right! Out of the given options, the questions that are most difficult to mark with reliability are:
A. Unstructured essay
Here’s why the other options are generally considered easier to mark reliably:
- Structured essay: These provide some structure by requiring students to answer specific questions or follow a particular format. This reduces subjectivity compared to unstructured essays.
- Short answer questions: While there can be some variation in marking depending on the answer’s completeness and clarity, short answer questions typically have a more defined answer key, making marking more consistent.
- Multiple choice questions: These offer the highest degree of reliability because they have a limited set of predetermined answer choices. Marking involves a simple comparison to the answer key, minimizing subjective interpretation.
Unstructured essays, on the other hand, allow students a great deal of freedom in their response format and content. This openness can lead to challenges in achieving reliable marking. Here’s why:
- Subjectivity: Markers can have different interpretations of what constitutes a good essay, leading to variations in scores.
- Evaluation criteria: Unstructured essays might require evaluation of multiple aspects like clarity, organization, depth of knowledge, and writing style. These can be subjective and open to interpretation.
- Marker bias: Unconscious biases of the marker can influence scoring, especially when dealing with open-ended responses.
To improve the reliability of marking unstructured essays:
- Clear marking criteria: Develop a detailed rubric outlining the expectations for a good essay, including elements like content, structure, and language skills.
- Standardized marking: Train markers and ensure they consistently apply the marking criteria.
- Double marking: Consider having two markers evaluate the same essay independently and then discuss any discrepancies to reach a consensus.
By taking these steps, you can help ensure that marks awarded for unstructured essays are more reliable and consistent