[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-620990-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":80,"doc-detail-620990-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","the-use-of-visuals-in-summative-assessment-executive-summary","The use of visuals in summative assessment - Executive summary","","The inclusion of visual resources in exam questions can shape students’ understanding of the task and influence achievement. Research is mixed, so visuals in summative assessment require careful design that reflects their nature, intended performance outcomes, and students’ characteristics. The report synthesizes evidence to support AQA item writers in making informed decisions about how to use visuals, improving the quality and effectiveness of future summative assessments.",{"@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/the-use-of-visuals-in-summative-assessment-executive-summary/620990/",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/the-use-of-visuals-in-summative-assessment-executive-summary/620990.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Quinn Holloway","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-31","2026-10-20",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":30},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",{"@type":56,"mainEntity":57},"FAQPage",[58,64,68],{"name":59,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":61},"How do visual resources in exam questions affect students’ performance?","Question",{"text":62,"@type":63},"Visual resources can influence how students understand the task and form mental representations, which in turn affects achievement. The direction and magnitude of effects can vary depending on design and context.","Answer",{"name":65,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":66},"Why is caution needed when using visuals in summative assessments?",{"text":67,"@type":63},"Researchers hold mixed views about the impact visuals may have on how students respond. 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While visuals can serve various purposes in testing, they should be thoughtfully designed, with consideration given to their nature and the intended performance outcomes , as well as the characteristics of the students. A review of the literature suggests that caution should be exercised when using visuals in summative assessments , as researchers have mixed views regarding the impact they may have. This paper provides evidence for AQA item writers to make informed decisions about how to use visual resources, which will help to improve the quality of summative assessment. It is one of a series of research reports contributing to AQA’s work on identifying and documenting new principles on question writing. The research evidence is intended to guide the design, production and implementation of future AQA assessments.  \nIntroduction  \nThe physical appearance of an exam question can have an impact both on a student’s understanding of the task and their response to it (Crisp & Sweiry, 2006) . When students read an exam question, they form a mental representation of it in their mind, which can be influenced by features such as visual resources. Visual resources are usually used for accessing the interpretative ability of students in assessments; however, they can be used for other purposes as well (Crisp & Sweiry, 2006) . When images are added to test items, students make use of these images at the problem representation phase, as they identify the appropriate information from the problem statement (Lindner et al. , 2020) . In order to develop understanding and generate a solution for the problem, this relevant information is converted into comprehensible mental structures and integrated with prior knowledge (Lindner et al. , 2020) . As images are more prominent than text, they can dominate the mental process.  \nThe impact of various visuals such as charts, pictures, tables, graphs and animations in summative assessment has been subject to very little investigation (Crisp & Sweiry, 2006) . Early studies conducted between the 1970s and 1990s (Stewart et al. , 1979; Winn, 1989 ; Woodfield & Elkins, 1999) suggest that well-considered text illustrations boost the performance of learners in various cognitive domains such as the accuracy of response and the time of response. Since the use of visuals in summative assessments is on the rise (Carney & Levin, 2002) , it is pertinent to review the studies that have been conducted in this area. This review focuses primarily on studies from the 1990s to date.  \nVery few theories exist that explain the cognitive processes associated with visuals in assessment. We therefore also draw on theories pertaining to visuals in learning and investigate their relevance for assessments. Cognitive processes during testing may be similar to those during learning because both processes require students to make a clear mental image of the given information in the working memory (Lindner et al. , 2020) . Past studies on the use of visuals in instructional texts suggest that visuals can have a positive influence on learning and retention, as text stays in the memory longer when it is illustrated visually (Weidenmann, 1989) . We could therefore generalise that the same may be true about the text of exam questions , to some extent (Crisp & Sweiry,  \n2006) . However, while teaching, learning and assessment are interrelated (Lindner, 2020) , and findings from one field can often be applied to others , we should be cautious about making direct generalisations.  \nA review of the literature suggests that caution should be exercised when it comes to the use of visuals in summative assessments, as researchers have mixed views about the potential effects they may have on the way students respo","cbCaimDQyRHN3MLk","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaimDQyRHN3MLk","pdf",219942,"English","# Executive summary\n# Introduction\n# Relevant concepts\n## Multimedia effect\n## Cognitive load","[{\"question\":\"How do visual resources in exam questions affect students’ performance?\",\"answer\":\"Visual resources can influence how students understand the task and form mental representations, which in turn affects achievement. The direction and magnitude of effects can vary depending on design and context.\"},{\"question\":\"Why is caution needed when using visuals in summative assessments?\",\"answer\":\"Researchers hold mixed views about the impact visuals may have on how students respond. Therefore, visuals should be thoughtfully designed with attention to outcomes and student characteristics.\"},{\"question\":\"What is the multimedia effect (MME) in the context of test items?\",\"answer\":\"Multimedia items present text and visuals together, and research refers to the impact of such items on performance outcomes as the multimedia effect (MME).\"}]","The use of visuals in summative assessment - Executive summary | PDF",25]