Post-primary Assessment
End of Key Stage assessment is no longer statutory. CCEA continues to run the assessment arrangements as before for those schools that choose to participate. For all schools, including those who choose not to avail of this service, there will still be a need to provide information to CCEA relating to Language and Literacy and Mathematics and Numeracy for pupils in Year 10.
Assessment of English, Irish (in Irish speaking schools), Mathematics and Science at Key Stage 3 takes the form of teacher assessment, without moderation, as well as end of key stage subject tests for schools that choose to avail of them.
The main components of end of Key Stage assessment are summarised below.
- Teacher assessment of pupils' work
Teachers assess each pupil in each attainment target in English, Irish (for pupils in Irish speaking schools), mathematics and science (where applicable). - Recording teacher assessment
Teachers' assessments of their pupils will be recorded on and sent to CCEA via webexchange. - Support for teachers in carrying out the assessment arrangements
Each year subject specialist teachers of English, Irish (in Irish speaking schools), mathematics and science will be provided with one day's substitute cover for each Year 10 class to support the assessment process. Details of the arrangements for payment of substitute cover are set out in Circular 1996/36 issued by the Department of Education for Northern Ireland in September 1996. - Assessment Outcomes
The test (where applicable) and teacher assessment outcomes for English, Irish, mathematics and science will be returned to schools by 1st August 2007. - End of Key Stage 3 Tests
CCEA continues to provide formal tests in English, Irish (in Irish speaking schools), mathematics and science for those schools that choose to use them. Most pupils will take two tests in each subject. All tests are externally marked by CCEA. Pupils with statements of special educational needs who have been assessed as having severe or moderate learning difficulties and those pupils who are considered to be working below Level 3 will not be required to sit the tests but will be assessed by teacher assessment only.
Materials listed below are available to download from this site
Assessment Arrangements in Key Stage 3: Detailed Procedures for 2006-2007PDF, 1.9MB
Assessment at Key Stage 3: Timetable of the 2006/2007 Assessment ArrangementsPDF, 500K
Report on Statutory Assessment 2005–2006PDF, 666K
Format of the English tests
The tests will be based on the English Programme of Study and each paper will contain questions relating to both Reading and Writing. All pupils will take the same two papers.
Each paper covers Level 3 to Level 7 and above.
| Paper | Levels Obtainable | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Reading/Writing | 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 and above | 1 hour 15 mins including reading and planning time. |
| 2. Reading/Writing | 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 and above | 1 hour 15 mins including reading and planning time. |
Format of the Irish tests
(for pupils in Irish speaking schools)
The tests will be based on the Irish programme of Study and contain questions relating to Reading and Writing. Pupils should be entered for the same tier in Reading and Writing.
There will be two tiers of tests covering Levels 3–8 as follows:
| Tier | Test | Levels Obtainable | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Reading | 3, 4 or 5 | 1 hour 10 mins including reading time. |
| B | Reading | 5, 6, 7 or 8 | 1 hour 10 mins including reading time. |
| A | Writing | 3, 4 or 5 | 1 hour 10 mins including reading and planning time. |
| B | Writing | 5, 6, 7 or 8 | 1 hour 10 mins including reading and planning time. |
Format of the Mathematics tests
The tests will be based on the Mathematics Programme of Study. Questions will address all attainment targets except Processes in Mathematics.
Pupils will take two written papers (except in Tier A) and one taped test for mental mathematics.
Each of the papers will last one hour. The mental mathematics test will last approximately 20 minutes.
There will be five tiers, covering Levels 3–8, as follows, and each paper (except Paper 5) will be used in two tiers:
| Tier | Paper(s) | Levels Obtainable | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 only | 3 | |||||
| B | 1 and 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |||
| C | 2 and 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |||
| D | 3 and 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |||
| E | 4 and 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |||
Format of the Science tests
The tests will be based on the Science Programme of Study and contain questions relating to all attainment targets including aspects of AT1.
There will be three tiers of tests with two papers in each tier. Given the overlap in level there may be some common questions in the papers for different tiers.
There will also be an optional extension paper which will be taken only by those students who are considered to be working at Level 8.
Each of the papers will last one hour.
There will be three tiers and an extension paper covering Levels 3–8 as follows:
TIER |
LEVELS OBTAINABLE |
A |
3 or 4 |
B |
4, 5 or 6 |
C |
5, 6 or 7 |
C plus Extension Paper |
8 |
