Summer 2021 Assessments

***UPDATED 10.6.21***

*If you are unable to access the review/appeals forms, then paper copies can be collected from and dropped off at main reception.*

Updated Appeals Info: Summer 2021 Qualifications

Click here for Years 10 & 12 / Click here for Years 11 & 13

Click here for Maesteg School’s Review/Appeals procedures for Summer 2021.

Introduction

You will by now, be well aware of the Welsh Governments decision to cancel both 2021 Summer Examinations and any controls surrounding Non-Examination Assessment (coursework).  As a result, learners completing A Level, AS Level and GCSE qualifications this summer will be awarded a Centre Determined Grade (CDG) that will be decided by schools.

The awarding of these CDGs is a very structured process and follows strict guidelines that have been published by Qualifications Wales and WJEC.  This process will ensure that the grades awarded are a fair reflection of the learner’s ability as well as maintaining an equitable standard compared to previous years qualifications.  This document will provide information to learners and parents/carers on how this process will be delivered at Maesteg.  It will also provide provisional information on the review/appeals process should a learner feel that the CDG they have been awarded is incorrect or unfair.  Final details of this review/appeals process will be provided to you once it has been decided upon by WJEC.

The school will produce a Centre Assessment Policy which details the procedures and policies that will be used in order to award the CDG grades to our learners.  This policy will be written in line with Qualifications Wales and WJEC guidelines to ensure that it includes all relevant processes and safeguards so that a fair and accurate grade is awarded.

You can find a PDF of that policy here.

The Centre Determined Grade

• The Centre Determined Grade is awarded by the school (i.e. Centre), based on evidence produced during the examination course.
• It is awarded on evidence from key skills/themes as outlined in WJEC Qualification Assessment Frameworks.
• At A Level, the grade will be awarded solely on performance on A Level work since September 2020. AS grades or work from the academic year 2019-2020 will not be considered when deciding on the grade to be awarded.
• At GCSE Level, grades will be awarded on work that has been completed throughout the course.
• The awarded grade will be holistic, identifying ‘best-fit’ judgements.
• Internal quality assurance at individual subject and centre level will be in place.
• Centres will provide clarity on how grades are awarded to ensure confidence in the process.
• Centre Determined Grades are NOT:
  • awarded to show potential.
  • based on teacher prediction.
  • similar to Centre Assessed Grade (CAG) as there will be no external standardisation.
  • applied using a ranking system per student, as in 2020.
• Centre Determined Grades will be determined on assessments that will run from Monday 12^th April as set out in the assessment timetable that will be published on the school website. Previously completed assessments will also be used as supplementary evidence.
• The overwhelming majority of assessments will be completed in class according to the normal learner timetable.

Types of Evidence Used

• For each qualification, evidence will be gathered from the following three areas
  • Adapted past-paper questions
  • Non-examination assessment (where applicable)
  • Other assessed work throughout the course, which has been marked objectively.
• Each subject will determine the evidence it will use from materials available.
• Evidence will be taken together to help form a ‘best-fit’ grade for the learner.
• Any evidence used has to be equality impact assessed to ensure no student is disadvantaged.

 Adapted past-paper questions

• These will take place in the assessment window during the first half of the summer term commencing on Monday 12^th April (more detail is supplied later in this document).
• Guidance from WJEC Qualification Assessment Frameworks will indicate key themes/skills required for the grade.
• Learners will be given information on what topics will be included but not what specific questions or papers will be used.
• The volume of evidence per subject will vary.
• There will be similar controls to non-examination assessment.
• Assessments will be subject to an equality impact assessment and standardised.
• Adapted past-paper questions are not exams.

 Non-Examination Assessment

• This exists in many qualifications to support progression.
• Weighting in nearly all cases is lower than unseen elements.
• Emphasis is on ‘adapted qualifications’ so where non-examination assessment has been removed or reduced this applies.
• Existing deadlines and restrictions around non-examination assessment have been removed.
• Non-examination assessment does not have to be complete e.g. practical elements of qualifications.
• The expectation is that the weighting of non-examination will be considered when determining the overall grade.

 Other contributing evidence

• Two other types of contributing evidence:
  • Other WJEC past-paper questions which have been marked objectively.
  • Assessments undertaken prior to publication will usually only be used to confirm a judgement. This is because the students would not have been aware of the ‘high stakes’ importance of them at the time of completion.

 Internal Quality Assurance

• Training and guidance will be provided to staff to mitigate the risk of conscious and unconscious bias.
• Subject-level moderation
  • The teacher will mark work in red pen.
  • A sample of work will be selected from each class and this sample will be re-marked and annotated by another subject specialist in green pen.
  • The Director of Learning will conduct a further moderation of the sample and mark/annotate in purple pen.
• Sampling for moderation will consider a range of groups to ensure fairness.
• All decisions will be recorded for each student on a Learner Assessment Record.
• The process is designed to give confidence in the awarded grade.
• In addition to subject level sampling, there will also be centre-level verification to involve sampling of all subjects (full details of the quality assurance process are contained within the Centre Assessment Policy).

Assessment Timings

The school will publish on its website, a document showing when each of the assessments will take place.  Learners and parents/carers must be mindful that not all assessments on this document will apply to them/their child.  Learners will be supplied with a from that they can fill in with the help of their class teacher, detailing when each of their assessments will take place. Parents/carers will also receive a reminder via “in touch” about the assessments scheduled for the following two weeks.

Result Day Dates

Friday 11^th June – The school will share the initial Centre Determined Grades with learners and parents/carers. These are provisional grades and will be subject to review/appeal and confirmation by WJEC.

Tuesday 10^th August – AS/A Level Results Day

Thursday 12^th August – GCSE Results Day

Grade Reviews/Appeals

Qualifications Wales has announced that there will be a three-stage appeals process.

Stage 1 – If a learner or parent/carer feels that the grade is incorrect on grounds of judgement or procedure, they can request the school to review the grade.

Stage 2 – an appeal to WJEC on the grounds that the judgement that the centre has made is unreasonable and/or a procedural error has been made. This appeal is made via the school.

Stage 3 – a request to Qualifications Wales for an Exam Procedures Review Service (EPRS) to review whether WJEC has followed the required procedures.  

The deadline for lodging a request for a school review of the initial CDG is Wednesday 16^th June and must be made via a form obtained from the school.

Full details of the school’s review procedure are contained within the Centre Assessment Policy.

WJEC has not released its final guidance on the review/appeals process so this information is subject to change pending release of the final guidance.

*If you are unable to access the review/appeals forms, then paper copies can be collected from and dropped off at main reception.*