Teachers’ Subject Philosophies Related to their Assessment Practices

This paper explores the relationship between the subject philosophy of English teachers and their assessment practices. The research is contextualised within the wider debate about the validity and reliability of course work-based assessment in English. It examines the history of that debate and then looks at ways in which practitioners and exam boards have sought to grapple with the issue of reliability and validity within English assessment. The research contributes to the debate by suggesting, through a small-scale indicative study, that English teachers are not influenced by their subject philosophies when assessing pupils’ course work but by their understanding or ‘construct’ of grade boundaries.