We know this has been a very stressful time for all students preparing to take their exams this Summer. In these unprecedented times there has been uncertainty about how exam grades will be awarded. We have now received more clarity on the process to be followed by private examination centres like ourselves and wanted to share this information with you.
How will grades be decided?
All examination centres are being asked to provide something called “centre assessment grades” for their students entered to take Summer 2020 GCSE, IGCSE, AS Level and A level qualifications. These are calculated grades and must reflect a fair, reasonable and carefully considered judgement of the most likely grade a student would have achieved had they sat their examinations this Summer.
For private candidates registered at our centre prior to the cancellation of the examinations, centre assessment grades can be awarded where Dr Anthony Monks (Head of Centre) is confident that he has seen sufficient evidence of a student’s achievements to make an objective judgement.
What evidence is required for us to make centre assessment grades?
For a judgement to be made we need to take into account and balance out several different sources of evidence. This evidence could include;
- Mock examinations that have been completed under examination conditions, either at our facilities or under the supervision of a specialist tutor or previous school.
- Assignments completed during the course of study. A specialist tutor or previous school must provide us directly with all the work completed We will then compile a portfolio of this work as evidence.
- Coursework completed. This could be NEA A-Level coursework for History, English Language, English Literature and English Language & Literature
- AS-Level results for A-Level candidates
- Grades in previous sittings for candidates re-taking exams
- Any other records of performance over the course of study
All of the evidence gathered will need to be authenticated by us and we need to be satisfied that work has been completed by the student unaided. Dr. Anthony Monks, will take the responsibility of vouching for the authenticity of the evidence gathered.
What if I do not have a specialist tutor or previous school to provide the required evidence?
Ofqual acknowledges that for some private students gathering evidence or gaining verification from specialist tutors etc will not be possible. Regrettably, if this is the case, there is no other option than to wait and sit your examinations in the new academic year.
The examination boards are still finalising details for the proposed Autumn exam series and have indicated that they will provide further details as soon as possible. Cambridge (CAIE) students will have the opportunity to sit the vast majority of subjects in the October/November 2020 examination series.
If you are unable to provide the required evidence but are planning to move onto further study you should contact your prospective college or university. They may be willing to confirm your place without the grades at this point, given the extraordinary circumstances.
What is the deadline for submitting evidence?
We have been advised that the deadline for submitting our centre assessment grades, to the exam boards, will be no earlier than Friday 29th May 2020. Therefore, we request that all evidence is received by this date. Any evidence received after this date will not be considered.
Will I be told my grades?
We are not permitted under any circumstances to share the centre assessment grades with you, your parents/guardians or any other individuals outside of the centre, before final results have been issued. This is to protect the integrity of our centre judgements. The results will be released on the original dates in August. Please note that we will not be permitted to return any evidence to students, it will need to be retained in centre.
The grades awarded will have equal status to those awarded in previous years and should be treated in this way by universities, colleges and employers. On the results slips grades will be shown in the usual way. If you feel that the grades you receive do not reflect your ability, you will have the opportunity to re-take the qualification in the next available examination series. However, please be aware that you will need to register and pay the entry fee for the qualification again because it is a new exam series.
We are here to support you
We understand that this situation is disappointing for students who are unable to pursue the centre assessment grade option and daunting for those that can. As an independent exam centre, we pride ourselves on being able to help private candidates achieve their qualifications. We sympathise with all our students who have been massively impacted by this situation. The cancellation of exams in the UK on this scale is unprecedented. It has never happened before and hopefully never will again. It is a truly unique and unknown situation for everyone involved. Our staff have been working tirelessly since the cancellation of the exams and we will continue to work hard over the coming months to support all our students.
We thank you all for all the kind words we have received from students, parents and guardians and also for your patience throughout this whole process. Please contact us if you have any concerns or questions and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Stay safe.