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

For V Levels, we have already proposed that the terminal assessment is marked by the awarding organisation. 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 assessments themselves. Our proposed assessment guidance includes considerations for an awarding organisation in determining its approach to marking.

We intend to require awarding organisations to use numerical marks, with a separate standard setting process used to determine the number of marks required to achieve each grade. This is the approach used for GCSEs, A Levels and Key Stage 4 Technical Awards and Technical Qualifications in T Levels.

Given the intended use of V Levels for progression to higher education and higher technical training, numerical marking will support the greater level of differentiation allowed for in the proposed grading scale. The approach will also allow for compensation of performance between different areas of the subject content across and within components.

Our proposed Condition VL6 and associated requirements are set out in Annex A.