Controlled Assessment Policy

1. It is the responsibility of each subject teacher to obtain the controlled assessment task from the examination boards.

2. The subject teacher (s) should choose, after consultation with colleagues, the most appropriate time for the controlled assessment to take place. Heads of Faculty must be informed of this.

3. The controlled assessment may take place during timetabled class time.

4. Subject teachers should consult with the Head of Faculty to plan when and how the assessment will take place, taking into account the accommodation and resources required. The Examinations Officer must be notified when a high level controlled assessment is taking place.

5. Relevant display materials must be removed or covered up.

6. All staff must be aware of the relevant level of control permitted (high, medium or low) as this will determine the level of supervision e.g. high means that the students will be under examination conditions.

7. Each student should keep a research diary or similar form of record where they note the guidance and feedback received from their teacher. Planning, notes, diagrams, essay plans and bibliography should be noted.

8. All assessment materials must be locked in suitable secure cabinets at the end of each session.

9. Where appropriate, students should have separate computer user accounts for assessments under high control. They should have no access to internet or e-mail and these must only be available during controlled sessions. If work is saved on memory sticks, these must be collected after each session and locked away in secure cabinets.

10. If a student is absent, the teacher must allow that student a chance to make up the time if necessary.

11. For long absences, special consideration should be applied for.

12. Entries for controlled assessments must be made at the appropriate time.

13. Attendance records of assessments should be kept by the subject teacher.

14. Work must be the subject of standardization before being submitted for external moderation.

15. Where the specification permits the student may work with others, e.g. during the collection of data, but any descriptions and results of the collaboration must be written up in the candidate’s own words.

16. If a suspected malpractice occurs, the Examinations Officer must be informed.

16.1 The Examinations Officer will review the case with the teachers involved and speak to the Director of Studies to alert them of the situation.

16.2 If deemed necessary an email will be written to the student (parents will be copied) outlining the concerns, including this policy, and the student will be invited to a meeting to be held with the Director of Studies and the teachers involved. During the meeting the student will be given the opportunity to present their case as well as listen to the concerns raised by the College. If the College is happy with the students response then the procedure will complete.

16.3 If the College still has concerns as a result of the meeting with the student, then the College may decide to take one of the following decisions:

1. Not submit the controlled assessment (s) to the examination board;
2. Submit the controlled assessment(s) to the examination board, but notify the board of suspected malpractice;
3. In cases where we have concerns about whether the work produced is the students own work, we may request for the student to either (1) re-do the controlled assessment (if permitted by the examination board) or (2) get the student to complete a controlled assessment with a different topic to check whether the work matches with the standard of the original controlled assessment (s). In cases where we agree to do c.2, the College will revert to 16.3a or 16.3b when the College still has concerns about the authenticity of the students work.

16.4 If the student wishes to appeal the decision then they can do so using Ashbourne’s complaints procedure, which is available on the Colleges website.

17. If a student’s work is lost, this must be reported to the Examination Officer, who will in return report it to the relevant examination board.

18. Authentication forms must be signed by teachers and candidates.

19. The assessment marks must be submitted to the examination board by the appropriate date.

20. Access arrangements apply to controlled assessments.

21. Candidates work must be securely stored until all results have been verified.

22. Re-sits of controlled assessment may be allowed in the next examination session.

23. After results are published, requests for re-moderation may be made.

24. The College does not disclose coursework marks with students. Although, in certain circumstances teachers may wish to disclose in order to motivate a student, the policy is quite clear and is in fact there to protect all parties, should the examination board adjust the marks.

It should be noted that the mark given in the coursework is a raw mark and therefore the UMS mark (actual grade the student receives) may be adjusted dependent upon where the examination board decides to assign the grade boundaries.