Assessment objectives

Also called AOs, AO1, AO2, AO3

The skills a subject is marked on, and how the marks are split between them. Public information, rarely read.

What it is

Assessment objectives are the categories of skill an exam credits, published in every specification with a percentage weighting.

In English Literature, for example, they typically cover response and use of evidence, analysis of language, form and structure, and context.

Where it applies

Every GCSE, A Level and vocational qualification.

How it works

The weighting tells you where the marks are. If context is worth a fifth of the marks, a fifth of your effort belongs there — and no more, which is just as useful to know.

Mark schemes are written against the AOs, so a mark scheme band is really a description of how well you met them.

How to use it in your work

Read them once, for each subject, at the start of the course. It takes twenty minutes and it changes how you revise.

When you get work back, ask which AO you lost marks on rather than what the grade was. That is an answerable question and the answer is actionable.

In English, "AO2" essentially means: write about the writer's choices, not the characters as if they were real people.

Where to get help

Your board's specification — free, online, and the first place to look. Your teacher for how they are applied.