Co-educational Day and Boarding School for Pupils Aged Eight to Eighteen
POLICY FOR APPEALS ABOUT INTERNAL ASSESSMENT OF GCSE COURSEWORK
Edington and Shapwick School is committed to ensuring that students’ work for external qualification is assessed fairly and consistently in accordance with the standards and procedures specified by the relevant Awarding Bodies. Assessments are conducted by appropriate staff who have the required knowledge, understanding and skills in the area being assessed. Staff will attend Awarding Body training as required. Consistency of internal assessment is secured through the departmental mark schemes in accordance with Awarding Body criteria and through departmental internal moderation and standardisation procedures.
Candidates’ assessment evidence (this might include photographic, audio or video evidence) is retained under secure conditions to allow for the possibility of enquiries about results or appeals
In November, Year 10 and Year 11 students are given written advice about the production of coursework as published by JCQ. Coursework deadlines are published and students are given adequate and appropriate time in which to complete their coursework tasks. Parents are informed if coursework deadlines are not met. Progress Checks in Year11 include a comment regarding coursework.
As part of the assessment process, GCSE candidates are given an indication of their approximate coursework grade on the understanding that this grade is provisional only and could be adjusted by the awarding bodies. The final mark awarded for coursework is outside the control of the school.
APPEALS
If a candidate feels that the process of internal assessment may not have happened in relation to his/her work, he/she may lodge an appeal. Appeals may only be made against the process that led to the assessment and not against the mark or the grade.
A copy of this procedure will be available on request and on the school website.
Grounds for appeal relate only to the procedures used in arriving at internal assessment decisions and do not apply to the judgement themselves.
The appeal must be made in writing to the Joint Headmaster (Academic) by the end of April in the year of the GCSE examination season.
Grounds for appeal must be clearly stated.
The Joint Headmaster will then conduct an enquiry. In the event of a conflict of interests, the he will nominate a senior member of staff to conduct the enquiry.
The enquiry will involve examining the evidence for the procedures used in the assessment, deciding upon their appropriateness and investigating whether the procedures as required by the Awarding Bodies have been properly followed.
The findings of the enquiry will be reported formally back to the candidate within a week of the appeal being lodged.
The outcome of the appeal will be reported to the Governors.
Records of the enquiry and evidence of the outcome will be retained by Mr Walker and made available to the Awarding body if required.
EVIDENCE TO BE PROVIDED BY HEADS OF DEPARTMENT DURING AN APPEALS ENQUIRY
Once an application for an appeal is received, the Joint Headmaster in charge of Assessment will inform the relevant Head of Department, Line Manager and teacher.
Heads of Department will have 4 days in which to provide the following information:
1. Departmental minutes, where appropriate, to indicate that the school procedure for internally assessed coursework was discussed and given out to new and existing members of the department.
2. The markscheme or marking criteria for the coursework as provided by the Awarding Body.
3. The departmental markscheme or marking criteria given to the teachers for marking the coursework if this differs from that of the awarding body.
4. Dates when coursework was set and published deadline dates.
5. Evidence of communication home regarding missed deadlines if relevant.
6. Dates when the coursework was marked by the teachers.
7. Dates and evidence of internal standardisation and moderation processes, including evidence of standardisation of the specific teacher’s marking.
8. Copy of the coursework marks to be sent to the Awarding Body.
Candidates’ assessment evidence (this might include photographic, audio or video evidence) is retained under secure conditions to allow for the possibility of enquiries about results or appeals
In November, Year 10 and Year 11 students are given written advice about the production of coursework as published by JCQ. Coursework deadlines are published and students are given adequate and appropriate time in which to complete their coursework tasks. Parents are informed if coursework deadlines are not met. Progress Checks in Year11 include a comment regarding coursework.
As part of the assessment process, GCSE candidates are given an indication of their approximate coursework grade on the understanding that this grade is provisional only and could be adjusted by the awarding bodies. The final mark awarded for coursework is outside the control of the school.
APPEALS
If a candidate feels that the process of internal assessment may not have happened in relation to his/her work, he/she may lodge an appeal. Appeals may only be made against the process that led to the assessment and not against the mark or the grade.
A copy of this procedure will be available on request and on the school website.
Grounds for appeal relate only to the procedures used in arriving at internal assessment decisions and do not apply to the judgement themselves.
The appeal must be made in writing to the Joint Headmaster (Academic) by the end of April in the year of the GCSE examination season.
Grounds for appeal must be clearly stated.
The Joint Headmaster will then conduct an enquiry. In the event of a conflict of interests, the he will nominate a senior member of staff to conduct the enquiry.
The enquiry will involve examining the evidence for the procedures used in the assessment, deciding upon their appropriateness and investigating whether the procedures as required by the Awarding Bodies have been properly followed.
The findings of the enquiry will be reported formally back to the candidate within a week of the appeal being lodged.
The outcome of the appeal will be reported to the Governors.
Records of the enquiry and evidence of the outcome will be retained by Mr Walker and made available to the Awarding body if required.
EVIDENCE TO BE PROVIDED BY HEADS OF DEPARTMENT DURING AN APPEALS ENQUIRY
Once an application for an appeal is received, the Joint Headmaster in charge of Assessment will inform the relevant Head of Department, Line Manager and teacher.
Heads of Department will have 4 days in which to provide the following information:
1. Departmental minutes, where appropriate, to indicate that the school procedure for internally assessed coursework was discussed and given out to new and existing members of the department.
2. The markscheme or marking criteria for the coursework as provided by the Awarding Body.
3. The departmental markscheme or marking criteria given to the teachers for marking the coursework if this differs from that of the awarding body.
4. Dates when coursework was set and published deadline dates.
5. Evidence of communication home regarding missed deadlines if relevant.
6. Dates when the coursework was marked by the teachers.
7. Dates and evidence of internal standardisation and moderation processes, including evidence of standardisation of the specific teacher’s marking.
8. Copy of the coursework marks to be sent to the Awarding Body.