Guidelines for Paper Setters

1. Acquaint yourself with the latest syllabus and assessment criteria

2. Questions must be based on the respective syllabus (topic allotted) with graded items in difficulty
3. Questions should be free from gender, religion, regional or any other bias
4. A question should be in as unambiguous and well-structured language as possible
5. Diagrams and pictures if used should be pertinent, helpful and of high quality
6. Prepare a set of testing objective and accordingly develop questions covering each of the testing objective
7. The learning outcomes to be tested include:
(a) Recalling, (b)Understanding (c) Applying (d) Analysing (e) Evaluation (f) Creating
8. Ensure that the questions developed cover all the testing objectives, content area and subtopic
9. Relate outcomes to content and indicate the learning outcomes to be tested
10. When assigning relative weights to topic and sub-topic the overall distribution of marks may be adhered to
11. Ensure that there is no dispute over the validity of the answer provided. Answer should be such that experts
agree on it
12. In comprehension questions, there should be a sequential development in accordance with passage. Questions
should not be in random order.
13. For Multiple-Choice items make certain that:
i. there should be no repetition of text in the options
ii. there must be only one correct answer
iii. all options are grammatically consistent with the stem and parallel in form
iv. the alternative all of the above or none of the above are not used
14. For Short-Answer items ensure that
i. the item calls for a single, brief answer
ii. the desired answer is related to the main point of the question
iii. clues to the answer have been avoided
15. There are two different categories of Short Answer Type Questions, i.e. SA-I questions bearing two marks and
SA-II questions bearing three marks. The answer of SA-I must have two or four value points and similarly
answer of SA-II must have three or six value points
16. For Long Answer type questions make sure that:
i. questions starting with who, what, when, where, name, list are avoided as these terms
limit the response
ii. questions demanding higher order skills, such as those indicated in the following table are used
17. The Long Answer Type questions can be of four/five/six/seven/eight marks. Ensure that answer of such
questions must have proportionate value points

Some technical verbs commonly used for different testing objectives

Objective Technical Terms eliciting the mentioned objective
Comparing Compare, classify, describe, distinguish between, explain, outline, summarize
Interpreting Convert, draw, estimate, illustrate, interpret, restate, summarize, translate
Inferring Derive, draw, estimate, extend, extrapolate, predict, propose, relate
Applying Arrange, compute, describe, demonstrate, illustrate, rearrange, relate,
summarize Generalizing Construct, develop, explain, formulate, generate, make, propose, state
Analysing Break down, describe, diagram, differentiate, divide, list, outline, separate
Evaluating Appraise, criticize, defend, describe, evaluate, explain, judge, write
Creating Compose, design, devise, draw, formulate, make up, present, propose
Synthesizing Arrange, combine, construct, design, rearrange, regroup, relate, write