Multiple-choice tests - are they fit for purpose?

The Nuffield O-level courses in biology, chemistry and physics were characterised by a reliance on practical work carried out by students and a spirit of inquiry that infused the teaching. The aim of these courses was to encourage conceptual understanding and to reduce the emphasis on factual recall. However, if they were to be successful, then new approaches to assessment, which reflected the aims of the new courses, were essential and need to be developed.  

Project teams for the Nuffield-funded O-level programmes, working in partnership with the three leading examining boards (now called awarding bodies), took up the challenge. The Nuffield chemistry team collaborated with John Matthews and other leading members of the London Schools Examination Board (one of the precursors of Edexcel) to develop new models of assessment for the chemistry course.¹