Coursework Assessment policy
Our policy is designed to promote quality, consistency, accuracy and fairness in assessment and awarding.
- Before any coursework is started all candidates will be given written advice about the production of the coursework and deadlines to be met.
- Information about the appeals procedure will be given at the start of the course.
- Within a department, all candidates are given adequate and appropriate time to produce the coursework.
- Internal assessments are conducted by staff that have the appropriate knowledge, understanding and skills.
- The consistency of the internal assessment is secured through the departmental mark scheme or marking criteria and internal standardization as necessary.
- Each Awarding Body specifies detailed criteria for the internal assessment of the work and staff responsible for internal standardisation attend any training sessions given by the Awarding Bodies.
- The Awarding Body must moderate the assessed coursework/oral tapes and the final mark awarded is that of the Awarding Body. This mark is outside the control of the school and is not covered by this procedure.
- The candidate will produce coursework that has been authenticated as original work.
Appeals Procedure
- The grounds for appeal relate only to the procedures used in arriving at internal assessment decisions or the production of externally assessed work and do not apply to the judgment themselves.
- The appeal must be made in writing to the School’s Examination Officer by 31 May of the year that the coursework was assessed. The grounds for the appeal must be clearly stated. The candidate can be supported in the presentation of their case by a parent/carer/friend.
- The Head teacher will nominate a senior member of staff, normally the Examinations Officer (E0), to lead the enquiry. An experienced Head of Department and School Governor to act as an independent member will also be on the panel.
- The panel will examine the evidence for the procedures used in the assessment, decide upon their appropriateness and that the procedures have been properly followed as required by the Awarding Body concerned. The enquiry will be completed by the end of June of that examination series.
- The panel’s findings will be formally reported back to the candidate/parent/carer at beginning of July.
- Records of the request for the appeal, the evidence, deliberations of the panel and the result will be kept by the Examinations Officer and made available to the Awarding Body if required.
What the Head of Department must provide for the appeal panel
- Departmental minutes from the first meeting of the school year to indicate that the school procedure for internally assessed coursework was discussed and given out to new and existing members of the department. Absentees were given their copy.
- The mark scheme or marking criteria for the coursework provided by the awarding body.
- The departmental mark scheme or marking criteria given to the teachers for marking the coursework if this differs from that of the awarding body.
- Dates when the coursework was set and to be handed in for that student.
- Evidence that all teaching groups have been given the same length of time.
- The departmental policy for candidates who were absent when the coursework was set or were absent for part of the period during which the coursework was being carried out.
- Dates when the coursework was marked by the teachers.
- The name of the teacher in charge of the internal standardisation.
- Dates when members of the department attended the last awarding body standardisation meeting.
- Evidence that the information from this meeting was disseminated to the department.
- Date(s) for departmental standardisation meeting and teacher attendance.
- If the teacher assessing the piece of coursework was absent, what was done to ensure that the information was given to this teacher.
- Copy of coursework marks sent to the awarding body.
The above information should be provided in a ring binder or suitably filed. It would be advisable to set up this binder at the beginning of the course and update it each year. If an appeal application is made, the HOD would only have a short time to provide this information for the appeal panel. Appeals have to be made by 31 May in the year that the work was assessed. The evidence above may also be requested by an awarding body inspector visiting the school or the awarding body if a parent makes a further appeal against the panel’s decision.