guidance for the head of exam centre

JCQ have produced some guidance for the Heads of exam centres.

We felt it would be useful to parahprase the guidance for private candidates who perhaps do not have the best communication with their exam centre.

Submission of evidence – response to Ofqual update to Head of Centre guidance

Background

Following the publication of the JCQ Guidance on the Determination of Grades for A AS Levels and GCSEs Summer 2021, Ofqual has updated its Information for heads of centre, heads of department and teachers on the submission of teacher assessed grades: summer 2021.

In the guidance Ofqual has clarified their requirement for awarding organisations to collect some evidence from every centre to Quality Assure teacher assessed grades to ensure a fair approach to awarding is maintained. This is to give candidates, centres, parents and the wider community confidence in awarding of grades in summer 2021.

Submission of sample evidence

To comply with the Ofqual guidance awarding organisations will be asking each exam centre to submit evidence for three subjects* with the work of five candidates selected for each subject; the request will draw from both GCSE and A Level candidate’s work.

The subject allocation will be determined centrally and will be drawn from both targeted centres and randomly selected centres covering all geographical regions. Centres offering only A Levels or only GCSEs will only be asked to submit samples from those qualifications. The candidate selection will be determined once grades have been received and will cover a range of achievement.

This stage of the quality assurance process will begin immediately after the centre assessed grades have been submitted so prompt submission of grades is essential. Because of the timeframe outlined by Ofqual, evidence collation and submission will be between 21 June 2021 and 23 June 2021 and we ask that this is strictly adhered to. This is a collaborative approach from all awarding organisations and we will be co-ordinating and sharing feedback throughout this time to reduce the burden on centres as much as is practicable.

To allow as much time as possible for the review of evidence we are asking centres to submit the evidence electronically and each awarding organisation will be in contact nearer the time to explain how this will work; and subsequently which subjects and candidates are required.

The review stage will run from 21 June through to the 16 July 2021; and may involve the submission of additional exam candidate evidence and/or a virtual visit to resolve any concerns or queries.

The vast majority of reviews will be carried out by one awarding organisation only.

However, in some cases it may be necessary for centres to submit evidence to more than one awarding organisation; where this is necessary clear guidance will be given.

Sampling will also be carried out for vocational, technical and other qualifications once grades have been submitted. Awarding organisations will be in touch with their respective centres to confirm arrangements. Centres should continue to gather and keep any evidence used to determine the grades in the relevant vocational, technical and other qualifications.

All awarding organisations are committed to delivering this service as quickly and efficiently as possible, and where required full support will be available to answer any questions or resolve any issues.

*In centres located in Northern Ireland that deliver Ofqual-regulated qualifications, only one subject will be collected, in line with requirements of the regulator and the devolved administration.