Student guide to awarding: summer 2021
Ofqual have today produced guidance for private candidates and how their exam grades will be rewarded. Including for private candidates
We have para phrased it below
Your teachers will instead submit grades to the exam boards, based on their assessment of what you have shown you know and can do, enabling you to progress to the next stage of your education, training, or employment.
This guide outlines the arrangements in place for awarding grades in summer 2021, and where you can go for additional information.
General qualifications
This information is relevant to all students in England who are entered for qualifications regulated by Ofqual and offered by AQA, OCR, Pearson, WJEC Eduqas, ASDAN and City & Guilds:
GCSEs (including short course GCSEs) AS and A levels Project qualifications (L1, L2 and EPQ) Advanced Extension Awards (AEA) in maths International GCSEs and international A levels are not Ofqual regulated qualifications. For information on these qualifications, please contact the relevant exam board directly. __ How GCSEs, AS and A levels will be awarded in summer 2021__:
a summary
How your grade will be determined and graded by teacher judgement, with grades signed off by your head of department and your head teacher or principal before being submitted to the exam board You will not graded by an algorithm
your school or college will let you know the timings of any assessments
you’ll only be assessed on what you’ve been taught
your school or college will tell you the evidence they will use to determine your grade
you will not be told what grade has been submitted for you
If you’re a private candidate you can work with a school, college or other exam centre to provide evidence on which your grades will be based
Evidence
A range of evidence can be used, such as mocks, tests and work you have already done non-exam assessment (often known as coursework) should continue
non-exam assessment can be used as evidence even if incomplete
art & design grades will be based only on your portfolio
Schools and colleges can use questions provided by exam boards if they choose to do so
Your school or college must follow guidance when determining your grades and the exam boards will check they have done so
Results days AS and A level: 10 August GCSE: 12 August Appeals If, when you receive your results, you are concerned that your grade is wrong there is an appeals process in place. Your first step should be to speak to your school or college for feedback and advice. You can find out more details from your school, college or exam board. See also, ‘What to do if you think your grade is wrong’.
Arrangements for private candidates Private candidates are students who do not study in a school or college, for example, students studying independently, home educated students, and students studying to re-take a qualification.
If you are a private candidate studying GCSE, AS or A levels, you will need to work with a school, college or exam centre to provide evidence on which your grade will be based. The evidence needed will be the same sort of evidence on which other students’ grades will be based.
The school, college or exam centre will tell you about their assessment approach, which will be checked by the exam boards. JCQ has published a list of centres willing to work with private candidates. Private candidates can work with centres not on this list where they have arrangements in place.
The exam boards have provided guidance for centres taking on private candidates, and UCAS has provided additional information for private candidates.