Topic Tests for Criminology WJEC Level 3 Applied Certificate + Diploma

What do teachers say about this resource? (12003)

I really like it. I think this is a useful addition to the course which at the moment has very little resources. It will save teacher time creating assessment resources and allows for formative assessment throughout the course in the same way that it will be assessed at the end of the course. I also like that the different stages can be broken down for smaller activities within lessons if needed.

I really like the break down of questions and the way they build up to the 30 mark question at the end of each topic. I feel this acts well as a revision resource alongside an assessment resource. Although I would mainly use this as an in class material, it would work as a student lead activity for revision.

It is perfect for the course. It allows a specific assessment to give a snapshot of where pupils are whilst getting them ready for the assessment style at the end of the unit.

IT is really clear and concise - I like it!

[It matches the specification] really well - it directly relates to the assessment objectives from the specification and clearly shows this throughout.

[Would you purchase this resource?] Yes, 100% - it's brilliant.

Thank you for this resource. It really fills a gap in the market and would save so much teacher time in planning and delivery.

I really enjoyed reading this resource and it is of excellent quality. There are not many resources for the course beyond the textbooks which can become out of date quickly. The subject is very popular in centres but not always delivered by subject specialists. If teachers are drawn from other specialisms such as law, sociology or psychology it can be difficult to judge the level of detail needed for the course, especially for topic areas which are less familiar to them. This resource is a good support for that.

Overall this is an excellent resource which will really complement the teaching of Unit 2. It captures the synoptic element of the paper (which students often struggle with). It requires students to display the same knowledge and skills that the exam paper does for the particular topic. Students often struggle with the unit 2 exam as some of the theories are complex as is the terminology used. I think the resource really helps to break down this theories and concepts. I would certainly use it in my teaching and recommend it to others.

The content is well suited to students studying level 3 criminology. The questions are of a high quality and in some cases are very similar to exam questions they could get for this unit. Examples given are clear, up to date and relevant.

The topic areas are covered correctly and in detail proportionate level of detail required by the specification. All theorists covered are listed in the specification. All areas of the specification are covered.

Students are given a range of theories for each section which again matches the specification.

The are only asked to evaluate areas that they would be required to in the exam.

The questions are worded in a way which mirrors the specification. Suitable marks are awarded. The questions are accessible to require students to display the same skills as the exam for that topic area. The longer mark questions are very similar to exam questions and for a similar number of marks as WJEC have indicated that the most marks a question will be worth is 9.

The mark scheme is accurate for all questions and give sufficient detail to justify marks given for the questions. The content is similar to marks schemes produced by the exam board.

This is an excellent resource for teachers to use in their delivery of unit 2. During the last marking session students often selected the wrong theory in their answers. This resource clearly identifies which area the theory relates to e.g biological theories. The diagrams giving an overview of all the theories connected in that area (such as the one on top on p9) are really useful to give students an overview of all the theories in a given area which would be great for revision and will hopefully encourage them to match the correct theories.

In the last exam series students also struggled to apply the theories, particularly selecting information from the scenario in the question which was relevant to their answer. A lot of student failed to gain marks they could have if they had referred to the scenario more in their answers. This resource gives them plenty of opportunity to practice this skill and gives teachers scenarios to use in lessons without having to write their own.

The range of activities to also very good as this will help to keep students engaged. Th breaking down of difficult theories with exercises such as fill in the gaps will help students build their knowledge and create accurate notes to revise from. The way that the activities build up is good as students can use answers from previous questions to answer the longer evaluation questions. This will really help students, especially those who struggle with evaluation to access higher marks.

The inclusion of images such as that for Skinners theory on p17 give students a clear visual image for the theory which some students may use for dual coding to help them remember the theory. Using an image to prompt information is a commonly used teaching tool which is not often seen in resources like these.

This would be a good resource to use as independent study, especially the short answer questions allowing students to review and test their knowledge. The scenarios are particularly useful as mentioned above. I would use these in lesson as a starter or plenary to prompt discussion and practice issue spotting.

A great way to assess understanding at different points of learning for the external examination unit... There are a variety of activities here to assess understanding – multiple choice questions, match up activities, scenario work and extended responses. There are aspects of the specification that are expanded upon in this resource, which is great as many teachers of this course teach a variety of disciplines where this knowledge is used in the lessons... Scenario tasks feature frequently in this resource, which reflects the applied element of the course. The tests are designed to not take too much time which will be more appealing to the students, especially if these are used as a homework activity. Although they still require students to think hard and apply the knowledge learnt... This resource could be used in a number of different ways. These could be particularly useful as in-class activities in the form of starters or plenaries; or my preferred use of 'hinge tasks' as formative assessment. These could also be useful for homework tasks that are low stakes in comparison to exam questions, though still an effective resource to embed practice and retrieval. The scenarios included can open themselves up to being topics of discussion in class.... The resource clearly matches the specification.

The topic test resource is good as it covers all the topic areas from the specification and includes numerous opportunities to practice application questions. It also includes a variety of scenarios which is always needed for students to decode and apply the correct theories

I like that all topics are clearly labelled and covers a wide range of theories and questions to consolidate student learning and to identify gaps.

This will help students to consolidate their learning and will be extremely useful for revision to help with knowing which areas they need to revisit. Also, from a teaching point of view, it will help teachers to identify gaps in student knowledge to then review again or spend more time on to cement knowledge.

It interprets the specification very well and covers the elements needed for each topic/ACs with questions that test all skills from knowledge to application.

What do teachers say about this resource? (11486)

This resource provided an extensive overview of unit 1 content to be tested. It tests students on the content for the unit 1 whilst not advertising itself as a controlled assessment style task.

The tasks allow for discussion after the test has been completed, and really allow for students to revise the content thoroughly for their own understanding and not simply to achieve the highest mark band in the controlled assessment.

The copy and complete tables in many topics of this resource are a great low-stakes recap activity for students and provide a competition element - this could also be adapted for a bingo style start activity. My students have prepared for their unit 1 controlled assessment using a variety of tables and they would enjoy using this resource. The mix and match activities included are also effective.

This resource subtly challenges students through the progression of difficulty from sections A to C. It also has scope through questions to delve deeper into criminology, whilst still remaining relevant to the specification.

This also provides students with the ability to reflect on their own work and revise in more depth, and the questions asked allow for larger responses and thinking time.

The scenarios provided in section B of the resource are very similar to the length of the briefs in the controlled assessment, which is good practice.

The AC3.1-AC3.3 section is very well thought through and increases the enjoyability of these topics - that some students often disengage with. It is perfect practice for the controlled assessment.

[Would you purchase this resource?] Definitely, a good formative assessment method in between teaching of unit 1.

The resources were excellent - really good. I'm really waiting for Unit 2/2 now and hoping something similar is on the way very soon!

I really like this resource. It is very interactive, having the learners to complete different forms of questions to test their knowledge. I like how it is scaffolded to test the different skills required and the marks allocated to the questions reflect this.

It covers the whole assessment criteria and will prepare learners very well for the controlled assessment, using some excellent examples to test their knowledge and understanding. I also really like the answers given as this will allow peer marking too in class.

It would be useful both as a formative assessment at the end of the assessment criteria or in revision and preparing for the controlled assessment. It also would be useful for class exercises, which could be used as group work etc. It would also be very useful for peer assessment exercises, especially with the answers already given.

It is easy to follow and contains a variety of different question structures which will help all levels of learners.

It matches the assessment criteria 1 to 3 for Unit 1 very well and works through it in a methodical way, ensuring that each area can be formally assessed. It also provides a good preparation exercise for learning outcome 3 which covers the plan, design and justify a campaign element of the controlled assessment using some very good examples for learners to review.

It is really good – I honestly cannot think of anything [to improve this resource]!

I really like the set out of it. In a subject where there is little additional resources to support delivery and assessment, a well structured and differentiated resource is always welcome. I think it is set out clearly and well thought out. I think it would be very useful in classroom delivery.

I like the build up of difficulty of tasks which would work well for revision or quick questions for the higher ability but also supports the low/mid ability in being able to do structured revision and assessment.

This would be ideal for knowledge checking and would save a lot of teacher time producing new material. At the moment, I am limited to textbook material and my own or material produced by others and shared. I think this would allow for purposeful assessment in turn increasing the level of teaching.

[Matches the spec] perfectly - it is broken down into sub units and reflects the break down of the course perfectly.

A good overall resource which could be easily used in teaching straight away and provide a variety of tasks for learners which could be appropriate to different levels.

I thought the use of student work was good, it was not only appropriate to the tasks set, but also gives students an idea of what they could produce. Critically analysing others works can provide useful insights into how to approach a question and what is required; this is a core skill for learners.

This is a relatively new qualification which has an absence of past questions to test knowledge. This resource fills this gap in the market. The mark scheme attached could be given to students to self-mark their answers and to provide guidance as to how questions should be approached.

I liked that there are a variety of different activities, tables to complete, matching exercises etc which split things up.

The resources match the specification very well, following the sequential learning outcomes. There are a variety of tasks which increase in complexity from basic factual recall to more evaluative tasks. All tasks are appropriate to how the course is examined.

I know teachers who would [purchase this resource] to support in class learning and to use particular exercises as homework tasks, especially if these were available for every unit, so that this could be consistently given at the end of every unit.

A very good resource!

The varied format of activities offers an immediate test of learners' knowledge early.

The scenarios provided are varied and offer a stretch to learners as they will not know the crimes in the controlled assessment to be written about. This gives students ample opportunity to be responding to as many crime types as possible.

The answers provided could be used for peer and self-marking or even models for a teacher to use in the classroom. They could be also used to stretch learners to answer a specific point in their controlled assessment preparation.

I really like the answer examples in the campaign work and the use of UK case study examples – this is very beneficial for learners continuing to the Year 2 units as the course is synoptic. Learners can take this knowledge and understanding through to achieve higher marks in their controlled assessment and full diploma.

I think this could be a useful additional resource for use as homework activities or revision activities prior to unit 2 exam.

I like the layout being one AC per page -easy for photocopying. And all AC's are covered.

Good layout, good use of real life applications for students to apply their knowledge like they would in an exam. Matches the language used in the controlled assessment. Good extension pack for students to apply their knowledge to other scenarios.