ABSTRACT
This chapter considers two common notions of assessment such as formative assessment and summative assessment, the relationship between assessment and progression and some of the more practical practices associated with assessment such as managing day-to-day assessment and recording and reporting pupil's progress in geography. The chapter also explores the purposes of assessment, the principles and practice of both external and educational assessment. Questioning and dialogue in geography classrooms provides many opportunities for one to promote successful assessment for learning. Helping pupils to develop peer- and self-assessment skills is one of the most challenging aspects of assessment for learning. Some schools use cognitive ability tests (CATs) when students join the school in Year 7 and/or at other points to provide an assessment of their reasoning ability. These assessments are sometimes regarded as providing more reliable indicators of subsequent performance in GCSE examinations.
