Challenge 2: Oral Assessment System for Critical Thinking

Traditional assessments often focus on written outputs and memorisation, which can overlook students' reasoning, creativity, and communication abilities—core elements of critical thinking. In the A-level curriculum, educators face the challenge of evaluating students' conceptual understanding and analytical depth through limited assessment formats.

Emerging speech recognition and AI-driven evaluation technologies open new possibilities for oral assessments that capture real-time thinking, argumentation, and reflection. The challenge lies in designing a fair, accurate, and pedagogically sound oral assessment system that enhances rather than replaces human judgement.

Target Users:

A-level educators, exam boards, and students preparing for humanities and STEM subjects.

Possible Solutions:

AI oral exam assistants, structured dialogue-based assessments, feedback dashboards for teachers, or hybrid systems combining human and AI grading.

• Fairness & Transparency: Ensure fairness and transparency in automated scoring and avoid linguistic or cultural bias.
• A-Level Alignment: Align question design and evaluation criteria with A-level standards and learning outcomes.
• Multi-Subject Support: Support multiple subjects (e.g., maths, physics, history) through modular assessment templates.
• Formative Feedback: Incorporate features for formative feedback and continuous skill improvement.

• A prototype demonstrating how AI can support fair and transparent oral assessments aligned with A-level standards.
• A 5-minute video and pitch deck explaining your evaluation approach, technical implementation, and how your solution enhances pedagogical assessment.