What is Controlled Assessment?
Controlled assessment is a new approach for those GCSE subjects which require internal assessment. It is a tightening of the circumstances in which candidates, over a period of time, complete those aspects of the subject which are usually marked by their teacher.
Important processes in coursework, now referred to as ‘controlled assessment’, relate to:
Setting Tasks
To ensure that tasks are valid and reliable by making them less predictable and formulaic.
Taking Tasks
To control the circumstances under which tasks are taken in order to address issues of authentication of the work.
Marking Tasks
To ensure high-quality teacher judgements are made when teachers assess candidates’ work.
For each of the above processes, different levels of control are possible. These are defined as:
- high;
- medium; and
- low/limited.
A high level of control for each process would be very similar to an existing examination.
Within any subject, varying levels of control are likely to be required across the three processes.
Controlled assessment regulations set out the level of control at each process for individual subjects. The aim is to address issues of authenticity, plagiarism and comparability of process and demand across specifications in the same subject offered by different awarding bodies.