Questions and Answers on Controlled Assessment

Teachers should see controlled assessment as an integral part of the delivery of the course. It should not be seen as a separate activity.

As candidates sit the task within a given timeframe there will be no need to continue to work on it to improve their submission. They will also know:

• when the task will take place;
• how long the task will take; and
• what the objectives are.

Most of the controlled assessment will take place within the classroom during normal teaching time.

If individual teachers or centres are following a linear course, then they need to make sure that all the components are completed by the end of the course.

If teachers or centres are following a unitised course, then they can be more flexible and structure the course delivery to suit their candidates’ needs.

When drafting skills are being assessed, mark schemes will clearly give credit for drafting/redrafting work. Therefore, candidates’ work should show evidence of work having been drafted and redrafted.

When drafting is not one of the skills being assessed, teachers may review candidates’ work and may provide advice at a general level.

Teachers must not provide detailed and specific advice on how drafts could be improved to meet assessment criteria.

This depends on the specification. Usually, candidates can start their research as soon as the teacher has the task.

Units not yet submitted to CCEA:

At the discretion of the centre, candidates who wish to re-do a controlled assessment before the marks have been sent to us can do so as long as the following conditions are met:

Controlled Assessment tasks taken under Formal supervision conditions:

• Candidates must do a different task available from the examination series in question.
• The work must be undertaken in a new period of formal supervision.
• Candidates must not be allowed to make another attempt at the same task.

Note: Candidates may re-use the research carried out for the original task.

Controlled Assessment tasks taken under Informal supervision conditions:

• Candidates may make amendments to it in the light of feedback from their teacher.
• The feedback must be in line with the requirements of the specification and any additional instructions issued by JCQ on task taking.
• Candidates must not be allowed to make amendments after the work has been submitted for final assessment by the teacher.

Units submitted to CCEA:

• In unitised GCSE specifications, candidates may re-take an individual unit once before certification.
• Candidates, who re-sit a controlled assessment, after it has previously been submitted, may make another attempt at the task if it is still appropriate to the year in which the assessment will be submitted.
• The work presented for assessment must be entirely new and carried out under the level(s) of control specified in the specification.
• Candidates must not be allowed to amend the work which was submitted previously.

Note: Candidates may re-use the research carried out for the original task.

• In linear GCSE specifications candidates who re-take the whole qualification may either re-take the controlled assessment component or re-use their previous mark.
• In unitised GCSE specifications if a candidate wishes to re-take a GCSE qualification, he/she may re-use the result of any unit, including the controlled assessment unit. The results from this final series will count towards the new award, even if the candidate has a better result from a previous series.
• It is a pre-requisite that the candidate must meet the terminal requirement rule by re-taking units contributing to at least 40% of the assessment in the final series.
• In some cases controlled assessment units can contribute to this 40% terminal requirement in GCSE.

Candidates work for assessment must be:

• kept secure throughout the assessment process; and
• stored securely within the centre;
• by the subject department or the exams office
• normally in a locked steel or metal cabinet.

Where this is not practical, because of the nature of the assessment, for example, the need to allow work to dry overnight, or the size or delicacy of some items of work, secure storage may be defined as classrooms being locked from one end of the session to the start of the next.

Assessments not required for moderation purposes must be stored securely until all possible post results service have been exhausted.

Where permitted by the specification, the work of individual candidates may be informed by working with others.

An example of this would be when undertaking research – candidates can work as part of a group but they must provide an individual response as part of any task outcome.

Alternatively, where candidates are required to construct a product, candidates may collaborate in the construction of the product but their evaluative responses must be their own and their individual contribution clearly defined.

If the candidate misses the controlled assessment because of the occasional absence they can sit the task or work on it at another convenient time providing that the controlled assessment supervision requirements for the specific subject(s) are met. An alternative supervised session may be organised for such candidates.

If the scheduled assessment cannot be repeated, for example because it involves a whole group, then the centre should contact the awarding body for advice. It may be possible to accept an application for part absence. The candidate must have covered the whole course and have been fully prepared for the assessment but unable to attend on the scheduled date(s).

If a candidate has a prolonged absence, due to an unforeseen illness or other misfortune, it may, in some subjects be possible to accept a reduced quantity of work without penalty, as long as all the Assessment Objectives have been covered at least once.

If the specification only requires one piece of work, this will not be possible.

Where there is more than one piece of work, the reduced quantity of work will only be accepted if the pieces are testing the same criteria.

No adjustment to the marks should be made by the centre. Centres should complete the appropriate documentation for special consideration and submit to CCEA.

All candidates must confirm:

• that work they submit for assessment is their own; and
• that any assistance given and/or sources used have been acknowledged.

This is done by each candidate signing a declaration before submitting their work to their teacher/assessor for final assessment. It is the centres responsibility to make sure that candidates sign the declaration.

If candidates cannot confirm the authenticity of work submitted for assessment centres should record marks of zero.

Teachers/assessors must confirm that all of the work submitted for assessment was completed under the required conditions and that they are satisfied that the work is solely that of the individual candidate concerned.

If they are unable to do so, the work should not be accepted for assessment.

All teachers/assessors who have assessed the work of any candidate entered for each component must sign the declaration of authentication. Failure to sign the authentication statement may delay the processing of the candidates’ results.

If, during the external moderation process, there is no evidence that the work has been properly authenticated, CCEA will amend the mark to zero.

The teacher should be sufficiently aware of the candidate’s standard and level of work to appreciate if the work submitted is beyond the talents of the candidate.

If teachers/assessors have reservations about signing the declaration of authentication, the following points of guidance should be followed:

• if it is believed that a candidate has received additional assistance and this is acceptable within the guidelines for the relevant specification, the teacher/assessor should award a mark which reflects this i.e. a mark which represents the candidate’s independent achievement. The authentication statement should be signed and detail of the additional assistance should be given on the relevant form;
• if the teacher/assessor is unable to sign the authentication statement of an individual candidate, then the candidate’s work cannot be accepted for assessment. A mark of zero should be recorded.
• if malpractice is suspected, the examinations officer should be consulted about the procedure to be followed.

It is the responsibility of the head of centre to ensure that the subject leaders adhere to the procedures for setting, taking and marking the task(s), as appropriate to the specification.

You are reminded that breaches of the regulations for the setting, supervision, authentication and marking of coursework may constitute maladministration as defined by JCQ. For further information and access to the current documentation go to www.jcq.org.uk.

Subject Specific

• Within the revised Specification for each subject in:
• Section 6
• The Appendices
• Within in the Specimen Assessment Materials ("exemplar" tasks) or the back of the Specifications (“live” tasks)
• Subject microsites
• Teachers guidance
• Student guidance
• By contacting our specification support officers, see subject microsites for details
• By attending the controlled assessment events which are running from September 2009 until May 2010. Book online here

General Guidance

• Controlled Assessment Guide
• Dedicated controlled assessment microsite including;
• What is controlled assessment?
• Q&A
• “Ask CCEA” inbox
• Useful links
• Useful documentation

You are reminded also to familiarise yourself with JCQ Instructions on conducting controlled assessments.

Yes but only if suitable arrangements for supervision and authentication can be made. Centres should contact the appropriate CCEA subject officer for advice.

Private candidates should always check with the appropriate CCEA subject officer before embarking on a GCSE qualification which requires controlled assessment. Some specifications will not be available to private candidates because of the specific nature of the controlled assessment. In cases where specifications are available to private candidates, suitable arrangements must be made for supervision and authentication. These arrangements must comply with controlled assessment instructions for that specification.

From September 2010 onwards there is a requirement from JCQ for centres to have in place a policy with regard to the management of controlled assessments. JCQ centre inspectors will check with examinations officers that such a policy has been put in place within the centre.

QCDA has published information on its website relating to the management of controlled assessments.

This includes advice for centres on managing, planning and coordinating controlled assessments (see Managing GCSE controlled assessment: A centre-wide approach under Useful Documents in the Links section of this site).

There are also two documents that centres can adapt to help them formulate their policy.

These documents are: Outlining Staff Responsibilities;
and Determining a Risk Management Process.

These two documents can be found on the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency website or under Useful Documents in the Links section of this site.

Centres should have in place an internal appeals procedure (JCQ Instructions on Conducting Controlled Assessment 6.4). Once the mark has been submitted to CCEA, a candidate cannot appeal their mark.

The centre will make a judgement on whether extra time is needed depending on the circumstances. If a candidate has an access arrangement as part of his/her normal way of working, they would be entitled to extra time if the work they are being asked to do during the preparation time is affected by their educational need, disability or temporary injury.

Please refer to the JCQ document entitled ‘Access arrangements, reasonable adjustments and special consideration’. Access arrangements are agreed before the assessment. They allow candidates to show what they know and can do without changing the demands of the assessment. The JCQ document states that ‘for GCSE and GCE qualifications access arrangements must be processed using Access arrangements online as early as possible. Arrangements must be processed and approved before an examination or assessment.’ Special consideration is a post examination adjustment to the marks or grades of a candidate who is eligible for consideration.