Variations in aspects of writing in 16+ English examinations between 1980 and 2014
Elliott, G., Green, S., Constantinou, F., Vitello, S., Chambers, L., Rushton, N., Ireland, J., Bowyer, J. and Beauchamp, D. (2016). Variations in aspects of writing in 16+ English examinations between 1980 and 2014 Research Matters: A Cambridge Assessment publication Special Issue 4: Aspects of Writing 1980–2014, 1-84.
Aspects of Writing has been a successful cross-sectional study, investigating features of written English as produced by 16-year old UK students in high-stakes examinations. Investigations are published approximately every 10 years using samples of writing from 1980, 1993, 1994, 2004, 2007 and 2014.
The study has explored changes in the features that students use during their writing in formal English examinations. In this context, it seems likely that students write with their best level of English because it is a high-stakes examination, but have no access to external resources or writing aids.This current study compares the writing of the 2014 cohort with those of the previous cohorts to assess the extent to which aspects of students’ writing have changed over time.
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