Viva exams for A levels or GCSEs?

Viva exams for A levels or GCSEs?

The word Viva comes from the Latin word. 'Viva voce' means word of mouth Viva from the mouth. In an exam or assessment sense it means an interview style on the discretion of the examiners. It is quite common at Phd level and the odd professional exams but no where else.

The idea is to give the candidate the opportunity to defend their works and the findings of their thesis. While it gives the examiners the opportunity to probe further into the candidates thinking and methodology. It helps clear up any misunderstandings and ambiguities while also giving the examiners the opportunity to prove it is the work on the candidate. 

The exam blog being part of a GCSE & A level exam centre would like to argue that the viva model or style should be increasingly used for GCSE and A level candidates, not withstanding oral language exams. The ability to quiz exam candidates on their understanding of the subject and use debate surely is an excellent way of giving quality reflection on the candidate while also giving guidance for the future.  The rise of the smart phone means that facts and figures are at pupils' fingertips and memorising them is only now a small part of what needs to be shown in understanding.

Being able to argue and debate the points of a subject both verbally and written is a comprehensive way that exams can be successful in fitting the new model economy.  

At our exam centres we are keen to explore the full range of assessment techniques. We believe that interviewing candidates about their subjects form part of the array which is possible.