Wan Alisa Hanis Wan Abdul Halim creator author. text my 2026 2026 monographic eng xvi, 182 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 30 cm.+ 1 CD-ROM The adoption of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) in Malaysia’s education system aims to facilitate transitions between educational levels and ensure continuity in the English language curriculum. However, the varying interpretations of CEFR by examination bodies, specifically Lembaga Peperiksaan Malaysia (LPM) and Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia (MPM), result in the structural differences in the design of rating scales produced for Malaysian writing high-stakes assessments, particularly Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Malaysian University English Test (MUET). Accordingly, this study investigated the differential impact of the divergent designs of two high-stakes Malaysian writing assessments on examiner cognition and CEFR band consistency when scoring the same writing responses. A total of ten students, selected via purposive sampling, completed a writing task developed for the current study. Consequently, six written responses were chosen and rated twice, once using the SPM Bahasa Inggeris 1119/2 guided writing rating scale and once using the MUET Writing extended writing rating scale, by three expert writing examiners (WEs) who were also selected via purposive sampling. Data were obtained through (i) concurrent think-aloud protocols (CTAs), (ii) stimulated recall interviews (SRI), and (iii) CEFR band achievement. CTA data were transcribed and coded using Wolfe’s cognitive processing actions, while SRI data were transcribed and coded before being analysed on NVivo 14 software for coding and matrix analysis. Quantitative data were tabulated and analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics 27 for frequency and correlation analysis. The first finding of the study was the complex relationship between the SPM Bahasa Inggeris 1119/2 guided writing rating scale and the MUET Writing extended writing rating scale. While the design of both rating scales allowed WEs to focus on similar descriptors, with a primary focus on content and communicative aspects, the MUET Writing extended writing scale elicited a higher number of cognitive processing codes compared to the SPM 1119/2 scale. Positive correlations between scales were only observed when the same scale was used for written responses, while negative correlations were found with different scales, which reinforced the distinction in the relationship between the designs. Second, the study found five main cognitive trends when using rating scales, namely that WEs (i) used “top-to-bottom” method, (ii) experienced a greater cognitive load with a scale with wider mark range, (iii) experienced leaser cognitive load and ease with a scale with more number of descriptors, (iv) utilised prior marking experience to interpret vague descriptors, and (v) utilised own cognitive adjustment based on their internal models of good written responses to fill in non-existing descriptors. Finally, the study found a strong positive and significant relationship between CEFR band achievements awarded to the same written responses. These findings revealed that the structural differences in the design of Malaysia’s high-stakes writing rating scales led WEs to adopt different cognitive processing as a means of managing and reducing the cognitive load involved in arriving at scoring judgements. Nonetheless, the consistency in CEFR band achievement suggested that CEFR has successfully provided a flexible framework that accommodated Malaysian adaptation while maintaining continuity in the English curriculum across different educational levels. The study is significant as the study pioneers the studies on CEFR-aligned rating scales using the same student scripts, investigates Malaysian expert WEs’ cognitive processing when using divergent rating scale designs, and contributes methodologically based on the selective application of Wolfe’s cognitive categories in CTA protocols as well as the utilisation of SRI to support CTA for cognition processing analysis. specialized Wan Alisa Hanis Wan Abdul Halim Center for Modern Language Thesis (Master of Science) -- Universiti Malaysia Pahang – 2026 Includes bibliographical reference Center for Modern Language Dissertations Universities and colleges Dissertations Theses Dissertations THE0010792 (Local) UMPSA 260803 20260803145823.0 eng