[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-620950-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":80,"doc-detail-620950-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":73,"head_meta":75,"extra_data":77,"updated_unix":79},105,"en","item-banking-and-item-led-test-construction","Item Banking and Item-led Test Construction","","Item-led test construction replaces the test-led approach by treating individual items as the unit of work, where subject experts author, review, and revise items rather than whole question papers. An electronic item bank stores items with qualitative and quantitative metadata, enabling fast retrieval by searching metadata tags. Statistical analyses provide item facility index, item difficulty, and discrimination index, supporting improved selection and rapid reconfiguration of tests near examination day. Test construction algorithms generate suitable tests and automatically compile mark schemes and assessment grids, streamlining delivery and feedback.",{"@graph":14,"@context":72},[15,34,55],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/","Exam",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/item-banking-and-item-led-test-construction/620950/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/item-banking-and-item-led-test-construction/620950.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Taylor Morgan","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-20",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":33},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",{"@type":56,"mainEntity":57},"FAQPage",[58,64,68],{"name":59,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":61},"How does the item-led approach differ from the test-led approach?","Question",{"text":62,"@type":63},"In the item-led approach, subject experts author, review, and revise items, while tests are assembled from selected items. In the test-led approach, question papers are set directly using traditional methods.","Answer",{"name":65,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":66},"What is stored in an electronic item bank and how are items retrieved?",{"text":67,"@type":63},"The bank stores items in an accessible way and attaches qualitative and quantitative metadata tags. Items suitable for a specific test are identified by searching the bank using these metadata tags.",{"name":69,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":70},"What quantitative measures are used to evaluate item performance?",{"text":71,"@type":63},"Quantitative metadata come from statistical analyses of live test performance, including summary statistics, item facility index, item difficulty, and discrimination index to indicate ease, hardness, and differentiation among candidates.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":74,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":76,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":78,"site_id":7},620950,1792888543,{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":82},"success",[83,87,91,94,99,104,109,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":84,"show_sort_weight":85,"slug":86},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":88,"show_sort_weight":89,"slug":90},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":92,"slug":93},70,"exam",{"id":95,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":96,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":98},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":100,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":101,"show_sort_weight":102,"slug":103},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":105,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":106,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":110,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":95,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":131},{"doc_id":78,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":33,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":33,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":123,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},1099523885336,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_276721f389ce27ea32af1340a28f341c","after that. Test writers do not receive timely information about how individual items performed which would help them to improve their item and test writing skills. Items and tests tend to be used once and then formally released to the public domain as past papers for students to practise with.  \nThe test-led approach is suited to an environment in which examinations are offered on paper once or twice a year. There are pressures in the form of regulation, government policies, improving technology and the changing needs of candidates and teachers that are forcing awarding bodies to try alternative approaches to producing tests. One of these alternative approaches is item banking and the item-led approach to test construction, which is described diagrammatically in Figure 1(b) .  \nFigure 1: Comparison of (a) the test-led approach to question paper setting and (b) the item-led  \napproach to test construction  \nPhilosophically, using item banking to set tests is very different to the test-led approach. In the item-led approach subject experts author, review and revise items, not tests. The item becomes the unit of work. An item contains a number of elements, the demand being only one of these. Other elements that may be present are: a rubric; a stem; background information (photographs, video, audio, diagrams, graphs, tables, descriptions, maps etc.); maximum mark, correct response; and, explanations as to why the correct response is correct and incorrect responses are incorrect.  \nA basic electronic item bank receives deposits of items from the subject experts at any time. The bank stores the items in an accessible manner whilst value is added to them by attaching descriptions of their qualitative and quantitative characteristics. Together these characteristics are known as metadata which are tagged to an item . Items that are suitable for withdrawal from the bank for use in a particular test are identified by searching the bank using the metadata tags. The basic function of item and metadata storage in a virtual environment can help to reduce the time between the creation of a test and when candidates sit it. It also allows changes to a test close to the examination day or even the replacement of an entire test to be done rapidly and with comparative ease.  \nQualitative metadata include information about the elements that make up the item, authoring details, assessment objective that the item addresses and content area or topic covered by the item . Tags for these are set during item authoring, before the items are selected for use in a  \n2  \ntest. Quantitative metadata are the result of statistical analyses carried out on the performance  \nof items in live tests. The results of the statistical analyses include values for  \n􀁸 summary statistics (mean marks and standard deviations) for items and tests  \n􀁸 how easy or difficult items are (item facility index and item difficulty) . An item with a high value for facility index is easy in comparison with other items in the same test. A high value for item difficulty, however, indicates an item that is hard for candidates to score marks onin comparison with other items in the item bank. In this case the item bank stores items for use in one test.  \n􀁸 how well items differentiate between candidates of high and low ability (discrimination index) . A high discrimination value indicates that the item is able to differentiate well between candidates of differing abilities.  \nThese numerical characteristics are a measure of the interaction between candidates and items  \nunder test conditions.  \nBefore the performance of items can be measured a test must be constructed for candidates to sit. Similarly to test-led question paper setting, tests constructed from an item bank use a specification or template that contains a high level of detail. This sets out the format of the test including rubrics, guidance for candidates and the start and end points for sections within the test. It also states","cbCaik96fvJbeyEW","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaik96fvJbeyEW","pdf",1237765,"English","# Item-led approach vs test-led approach\n## Item structure and metadata\n## Virtual item bank operations\n## Qualitative and quantitative metadata\n## Test construction algorithm and automation\n## Delivery, marking, and feedback loop","[{\"question\":\"How does the item-led approach differ from the test-led approach?\",\"answer\":\"In the item-led approach, subject experts author, review, and revise items, while tests are assembled from selected items. In the test-led approach, question papers are set directly using traditional methods.\"},{\"question\":\"What is stored in an electronic item bank and how are items retrieved?\",\"answer\":\"The bank stores items in an accessible way and attaches qualitative and quantitative metadata tags. Items suitable for a specific test are identified by searching the bank using these metadata tags.\"},{\"question\":\"What quantitative measures are used to evaluate item performance?\",\"answer\":\"Quantitative metadata come from statistical analyses of live test performance, including summary statistics, item facility index, item difficulty, and discrimination index to indicate ease, hardness, and differentiation among candidates.\"}]","Item Banking and Item-led Test Construction | PDF",1792464787,25]