29 September - 1 October 2026
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The Arena, Riyadh | Saudi Arabia.
Saaqib Siddiqui
Head of Department and IB Examiner for IB Business Management - King Faisal School
Saaqib Siddiqui is the Head of Individuals & Societies at King Faisal School in Riyadh, where he leads a team of eight educators across the MYP, DP, and American Diploma programmes. He teaches IB Business Management at both Higher and Standard Level and brings examiner-level assessment expertise to his department through his work as an IB Business Management Examiner.
With nine years of experience in IB and international education, Saaqib has consistently supported student achievement above IB world averages. He holds a BA in Economics from Carleton University, a PGCEi from the University of Nottingham, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Linguistics from Birmingham City University.
Saaqib has presented at school and regional forums on the use of generative AI in education and regularly leads professional development on assessment literacy, instructional practice, and reflective teaching. His areas of interest include assessment design, academic rigor, higher-order thinking, and helping teachers create learning experiences that lead to deeper student understanding.
Speaker Sessions
GESS Talks Live
1525
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From Recall to Rigour: Fixing Common Mistakes in Assessment Design
Session Summary:
Many classroom assessments unintentionally reward memorization rather than meaningful understanding. As a result, students may perform well on tests without demonstrating deeper thinking, application, or analysis. This workshop explores common mistakes in assessment design and provides practical strategies for improving the quality and rigor of classroom assessments. Participants will examine real examples of assessment tasks, identify common pitfalls related to command terms, mark allocations, cognitive demand, and question design, and learn how to create assessments that better measure student understanding and higher-order thinking. Drawing on experience as a Head of Department and IB Examiner, the session will provide practical tools that teachers can immediately apply across a range of subjects and curricula. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of assessment literacy and concrete strategies for designing assessments that promote deeper learning and more authentic evidence of student achievement.
Speakers
Saaqib Siddiqui
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Head of Department and IB Examiner for IB Business Management - King Faisal School
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