Teacher's Guide

Exam

Friluftsliv 1: a pupil may be drawn for an oral exam. The exam is set and marked locally. The exam must include a preparation component.

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The exam in friluftsliv

Friluftsliv 1: a pupil may be drawn for an oral exam. The exam is set and marked locally. The exam must include a preparation component.

Friluftsliv 2: a pupil may be drawn for an oral exam. The exam is set and marked locally. The exam must include a preparation component.

Rules for the oral exam

It is recommended that the municipality or county draw up guidelines for conducting locally set exams. This is not a requirement, but it can help ensure predictability, clarify expectations, and provide a shared understanding of responsibility and of the framework for the exam situation (Utdanningsdirektoratet, 2020).

Before the exam

  • An oral exam with a preparation component cannot be held on a Monday or on the first day after a public holiday.
  • The pupil must be notified of the draw 48 hours before the start of the exam.
    • Public holidays do not count towards these hours.
  • The oral exam has 24 hours of preparation.
    • The preparation component is meant to prepare pupils and external candidates for the challenges and tasks they will meet at the exam in the subject.
    • The requirement for a presentation at the exam has been removed.
  • The preparation days are compulsory school days, and pupils are entitled to a pedagogical provision.

(Utdanningsdirektoratet, 2020).

Absence

The preparation is part of the exam, and pupils who have documented absence on the preparation day also have documented absence from the exam day. Pupils who wish to sit the exam even though they have documented absence on the preparation day must be given the opportunity to do so.

Pupils who have undocumented absence on the preparation day must attend the exam. It is the county authority that decides whether external candidates are to have a preparation component for the locally set exam, and how long it should last (Utdanningsdirektoratet, 2020).

The exam task

  • It must give the pupil or external candidate the opportunity to demonstrate their competence in as large a part of the subject as possible, given the exam format.
  • The subject teacher is required to draw up proposals for tasks for the locally set exam.
  • The exam task should be open enough that the pupil can make their own choices about content and form.
  • The subject teacher must discuss the exam task and the plan for conducting the exam with the external examiner in advance of the exam.

(Utdanningsdirektoratet, 2020)

Appealing an oral exam

  • The pupil has the right to appeal against formal errors that have had a bearing on the exam result.
  • The pupil is not entitled to appeal against the grade.
  • Where there is a question of appeal, the school is responsible for advising the pupil.
  • If the pupil’s appeal is upheld, the exam grade is annulled.
  • The pupil can choose whether she or he wishes to sit a new oral or oral-practical exam, with a new examiner.
  • If the exam is a draw subject in upper-secondary school, a subject must be drawn again.

(Utdanningsdirektoratet, 2020)

Regulations and circulars

The Regulations to the Education Act govern all locally set exams:

Forskrift til opplæringslova

Rundskriv Udir 2-2020 elaborates on the provisions of Chapter 3 of the Education Act on individual assessment:

Individuell vurdering Udir-2-2020

Conducting the exam

  • The pupil must be given the opportunity to demonstrate competence in as large a part of the subject as possible, within what is possible given the exam format (cf. §3-22, first paragraph).
    • An exam that tests only a few competence aims would conflict with this principle.
  • The exam can last up to 30 minutes for each pupil.
  • The grade must be set on an individual basis.
    • The grade is an expression of the competence that each individual pupil demonstrates at the exam.
  • Once the examiners have discussed and arrived at a grade, the pupil must be told the grade immediately.
  • The requirement for a presentation as the starting point for the conversation during the oral exam was lifted on 1 August 2020.
  • The examiners must ask questions that give the pupil the opportunity to demonstrate the broadest possible competence in the subject.
  • The examiners should look for the competence the pupil has, and not look for what the pupil does not know.

(Utdanningsdirektoratet, 2020)

Presentation requirement removed

Removing the requirement for a compulsory presentation during the oral exam gives greater flexibility in how pupils and examiners can use the preparation and exam time. It is important to take into account that there are several ways to organise the preparation day and the exam, beyond starting the exam itself with a presentation. A presentation can still be used at the oral exam, but it will be optional for the pupil. For some pupils, being in charge of the start of the exam can help provide predictability and a secure framework. For others, the requirement for a presentation can limit their ability to demonstrate the competence they have in the subject. (Utdanningsdirektoratet, 2020)

Tips for practical delivery

Friluftsliv is a practical subject with an oral exam. It can therefore be appropriate for many pupils to make the oral exam as practical as possible. Bring map and compass, have equipment to hand, and let the pupils show and explain the judgements they make with regard to both equipment and trip planning.

One example is to bring a quantity of clothing and equipment and let the pupils show how they pack for a trip. They can then physically choose the clothing and equipment they put in the rucksack, and give reasons for it.

It is also possible to let the pupils show on a map how they plan a route from A to B, take a compass bearing, show route choices and critical points along the route, and how they read the map along the way.

Take the pupils’ own experiences as a starting point. Link questions to trips the pupils have been on; it is then easier for them to make judgements than from a new trip that is unfamiliar to them. An example of how to phrase a question might be: ‘Now that you are going to plan a trip in a new area where you are unfamiliar, what judgements can you carry over from the autumn hike when you now plan a new trip?’ Or: ‘Based on the experiences you have had this school year, what are the characteristics of a good campsite?‘

Example exam task

Example exam task

Next steps

Learn more

Text

Utdanningsdirektoratet (2020). Adapted by Gina Wigestrand, Snuitide. (2022)