Regulating post-16 VTQs at L2 and L3

Marking assessments

The approach to marking is another important control awarding organisations have over assessments. We think it is important appropriate levels of control are in place, to support the setting and maintenance of standards, and to ensure comparable approaches across awarding organisations. The level of control is affected by whether an awarding organisation marks assessments itself or permits centres to do so. Awarding organisations have more control over assessments they themselves mark, but in some cases, for example where a performance or demonstration is being assessed, centre marking may allow for a more valid assessment. These considerations must also be balanced against the manageability, for awarding organisations and for centres of the approach to marking.

Proposal

As explained earlier in the consultation, we propose that awarding organisations will be required to mark all timetabled assessments. This provides the highest level of control and is important for setting and maintaining standards. For other assessments, we propose to permit awarding organisations to allow school or college marking, or to mark them themselves. Our proposed assessment guidance includes considerations for an awarding organisation in determining its approach to marking.

For Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates, unlike V Levels, there is less need to differentiate finely between different levels of student performance for the proposed grading scale, which might require awarding organisations to use a common marking approach or the use of numerical marks. We propose to permit awarding organisations to design assessments using either numerical mark-based approaches, directly graded approaches, or a combination of these

Directly graded approaches are used in many vocational and technical qualifications where, rather than allocating numerical marks, students’ levels of attainment and achievement of specific grades are determined directly by assessors, by applying assessment criteria at the point of assessment. Such approaches may enable schools and colleges to use pedagogical approaches that may be effective in engaging the students expected to take these qualifications, designed by setting out learning outcomes in detail, which can support students to progress.

It will be for awarding organisations to determine their approach to marking and to explain this through their assessment strategy.

Our proposed Conditions FC7 and OC7 and associated requirements and guidance are set out in Annexes B and C.