Abstract

Our understanding of the concept of validity has been developing over the past century. It is confirmed as the most fundamental aspect of any assessment and the challenge to assessment developers is to show that what is measured in a test or exam bears a valid relation to the desired knowledge and skills in the real world. But it is claimed that present explanations of the concept are now of less help than they used to be because they emphasise the interpretation of assessment results, a matter over which exam and test developers have limited control. Traditionally, examinations in the UK have relied on a close link with teaching and learning communities (of vocational or subject specialists) to underpin the validity of their assessments. Can we ensure the value of assessment results by reaffirming this traditional system? Or is the gathering of ‘validity evidence’ and validation by assessment experts the way to do this?