A Critical Analysis of English Question Papers from the Federal Board through the Lens of Bloom's Taxonomy Cognitive Domain

Author(s) : Nadia Kainat a, Muhammad Arshad b Ali Hussain Bangashc

Abstract:

The current research endeavor presented a critical analysis of the English question papers from the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) for Grade-X, specifically focusing on the years 2023 and 2024. The objectives of the study were: (i).to assess the cognitive levels of the items of SSC-II, English Question papers, conducted by FBISE Islamabad in the year 2023 and 2024, (ii) to analyse the order of thinking of items of SSC-II, English Question papers, administered by the FBISE, Islamabad in the year 2023 and 2024 by using the framework of the cognitive domain of Bloom’s taxonomy, (iii). to compare both the question papers 2023 and 2024 to identify significant improvements if any in the, 2024 compared to English Question paper 2023. Utilizing Bloom's Taxonomy as a framework, the study investigated the cognitive levels of questions to assess their alignment with higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) essential for contemporary education. The methodology involved a quantitative analysis of question papers, further a checklist was used to mark the items against corresponding cognitive levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy after understanding the connotation and denotation meaning of action verb used in each item. The cognitive level of each item was determined based on Bloom's Taxonomy (BT). The study also identified the areas for improvement. Findings revealed a predominance of lower order thinking skills (LOTS) in the question items, indicating a need for reform in question design to foster critical thinking and analytical abilities among students. The study concluded with recommendations aimed at enhancing the quality of paper designing, developing and setting. In addition, a portion of higher order thinking needs to be renationalized and increased at an appropriate level and the assessment should be aligned with 21st-century skills and educational standards.

Keywords: English Question Paper, Bloom's Taxonomy, Cognitive domain, Higher-order thinking skills (HOTS), Lower-order thinking skills (LOTS)