Grade Awarding Summer 2021

How grades will be awarded and the appealing of results

Introduction

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused significant disruption to learning during the 2020-2021 academic year. As such, Government has decided that many exams and assessments cannot be held fairly and have put in place alternative arrangements for the awarding of qualifications in Summer 2021.

Qualifications were placed into two main groups by the Government, one group being General Qualifications which includes:

GCSEs
AS and A levels

The other group being Vocational and Technical Qualifications which includes:

Qualifications most similar to GCSEs and A levels, e.g. BTECs
Qualifications not similar to GCSEs and A levels, e.g. Functional Skills and ESOL Skills for Life
Qualifications with occupational skills or proficiency assessments, e.g. construction, plumbing and electrical qualifications

Individual learners at Calderdale College may be enrolled on multiple qualifications. Each qualification may be subject to different regulations in terms of how they are awarded in Summer 2021.

The following information aims to explain the general differences between the approaches to awarding of qualifications in Summer 2021.

How General Qualifications (inc GCSEs) will be Awarded in Summer 2021

Calderdale College has followed the consultation decisions set out by Ofqual (the office which regulates qualifications and assessments in England) to implement a process by which General Qualifications will be awarded in Summer 2021.

In summary, for General Qualifications learners will be issued with Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs). The key information is:

TAGs will be determined by teaching staff
TAGs will be based on a range of evidence, drawing only from what has been taught
TAGs will be subjected to robust quality assurance
TAGs will be signed off by the Curriculum Lead before being submitted to the relevant awarding organisation (exam board) by the externally set deadline of the 18th of June 2021
The evidence used by teaching staff to determine TAGs will be made known to learners
TAGs will not be shared with learners
Results for GCSEs will be made available from 12th August 2021
There will be a process by which results awarded in Summer 2021 can be appealed (more detail in the Appeals section)

How Vocational and Technical Qualifications will be Awarded in Summer 2021

Calderdale College has followed the consultation decisions set out by Ofqual (the office which regulates qualifications and assessments in England) to implement a process by which Vocational and Technical Qualifications will be awarded in Summer 2021.

For vocational and technical qualifications most similar to GCSEs and A levels (e.g. BTECs) that are used for progression to further or higher education, learners will be issued with Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs). The key information is:

TAGs will be determined by teaching staff
Depending on the awarding organisation, TAGs may be determined for the overall qualification or individual components within the qualification
TAGs will be based on evidence of performance
TAGs will be subjected to robust quality assurance
TAGs will be signed off by the Curriculum Lead before being submitted to the relevant awarding organisation (exam board) by the externally set deadline of the 18^th of June 2021
If the qualification contains an element of occupational competency (e.g. some early years qualifications), this component may need to be assessed in order to receive a qualification result. Please contact the relevant teaching staff at College should you require clarification
If the qualification had an externally exam scheduled in January 2021 and you were either absent from it or feel that your performance was adversely affected by the pandemic and the most recent lockdown, you may be able to receive a result using a TAG. Please contact the relevant teaching staff at College should you require clarification
The evidence used by teaching staff to determine TAGs will be made known to learners
TAGs will not be shared with learners
Results will be issued no later than 12^th August 2021
There will be a process by which results awarded in Summer 2021 can be appealed (more detail in the Appeals section)

For qualifications used for progression, but which are different to GCSEs and A levels (e.g. Functional Skills and ESOL Skills for Life) that are assessed when the learners are ready, the key information is:

Assessments should continue to go ahead for qualifications within this category
If a learner cannot safely access an assessment a TAG can be awarded, in this instance:
- TAGs will be determined by teaching staff
- Depending on the awarding organisation, TAGs may be determined for the overall qualification or individual components within the qualification
- TAGs will be based on evidence of performance
- TAGs will be subjected to robust quality assurance
- TAGs will be signed off by the Curriculum Lead before being submitted to the relevant awarding organisation (exam board) by the externally set deadline of the 18^th of June 2021
- The evidence used by teaching staff to determine TAGs will be made known to learners
- TAGs will not be shared with learners
- Results will be issued within the usual timeframes related to Functional Skills and ESOL Skills for Life qualifications
- There will be a process by which results awarded in Summer 2021 can be appealed (more detail in the Appeals section)

For qualifications which assess occupational skills or proficiency (e.g. construction, plumbing and electrical qualifications), assessments:

Can continue as normal where possible
Can be adapted in line with specific awarding organisation guidance if needed
May be delayed if normal assessment or adapted assessment cannot take place
Results will be issued within the usual timeframes related to the qualification once assessment has been completed

Accessing More Information and Support

Should you have any questions relating to the awarding of qualifications in Summer 2021, please contact the relevant teaching staff in the first instance.

The Advice and Guidance team are also here to support you, the team can be contacted in the following ways:

Ofqual have produced a Student Guide to Awarding: Summer 2021 which contains further information on the approach to awarding both General Qualifications and Vocational and Technical Qualifications. The guide can be accessed by following the link here.

Summer 2021 Appeals Process

Due to the significant disruption caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Ofqual (the Government office which regulates qualifications and assessments in England) implemented alternative arrangements for the awarding of qualifications in Summer 2021.

Calderdale College was required to submit a COVID-19 Assessment & Appeals Policy to the awarding organisations (exam boards). The purpose of the policy is to ensure Calderdale College has implemented the guidance set out by Ofqual and the awarding organisations to ensure our learners are issued with the correct grades on results day. Appeals will be conducted in line with the guidance set out by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), which can be accessed here.

Can I Appeal my Grade?

If you feel that you have not been issued with the correct grade, you do have the right to request an appeal. The appeals process has two stages:

Stage 1: Centre Review
Stage 2: Appeal to the Awarding Organisation

What Happens During the Stage 1: Centre Review?

On receipt of an appeal, Calderdale College will convene a panel to conduct a Stage 1: Centre Review to establish whether:

Calderdale College has made a procedural error, e.g., the College did not follow the COVID-19 Assessment & Appeals Policy, did not undertake internal quality assurance, did not consider of access arrangements or mitigating circumstances.
Calderdale College has made an administrative error, e.g., the College submitted an incorrect grade, used an incorrect assessment result when determining your grade.

The panel will review the appeal set out by the learner and any available evidence before deciding as to whether to uphold the appeal or not.

The College will communicate the outcome of the Stage 1: Centre Review in writing to the learner who submitted the appeal. The response will include details of how to progress the appeal to a Stage 2: Appeal to the Awarding Organisation.

What Happens During Stage 2: Appeal to the Awarding Organisation?

If after a Stage 1: Centre Review you still do not think that the correct grade has been awarded, you can request that the College submits an appeal to the relevant awarding organisation by following the instructions that were provided in the College’s response.

The awarding organisation will review whether:

Calderdale College made an unreasonable exercise of academic judgement¹ in the choice of evidence from which they determined your grade and/or in the determination of your grade from that evidence.
Calderdale College did not apply a procedure correctly, e.g., did not follow the Centre Policy, did not undertake internal quality assurance, did not take account of access arrangements or mitigating circumstances.
The awarding organisation made an administrative error, e.g., they changed your grade during the processing of grades.

¹ A reasonable judgement is one that is supported by evidence. An exercise of judgement will not be unreasonable simply because a learner considers that an alternative grade should have been awarded, even if the learner puts forward supporting evidence. There may be a difference of opinion without there being an unreasonable exercise of judgement. The reviewer will not remark individual assessments to make fine judgements but will take a holistic approach based on the overall evidence.

How do I Submit an Appeal to Request a Stage 1: Centre Review?

If after reading this information you believe that you have grounds to appeal and request a Stage 1: Centre Review, please click the link below and complete the form:

CALDERDALE COLLEGE SUMMER 2021 APPEAL FORM

Can I Appeal Directly to the Awarding Organisation (stage2: Appeal to Awarding Organisation)?

No, an appeal to the awarding organisation cannot be made until after Calderdale College have completed a Stage 1: Centre Review.

How do I Submit Appeals for Multiple Qualifications?

If you wish to submit an appeal for more than one qualification, e.g., GCSE English and a BTEC Diploma, then these appeal applications must be submitted individually.

How Could my Grade Change?

At either stage of the appeals process your grade could go down, up or stay the same.

What are the Deadlines for Submitting Appeals?

If you have a place at university or a Higher Education Institute dependent on the appeal the deadline for requesting a priority Stage 1: Centre Review is Monday 16^th August 2021. You should also inform the university or Higher Education Institute to allow them to decide how to handle your offer.

If your appeal does not have implications on a place at university or a Higher Education Institute the deadline for requesting a non-priority Stage 1: Centre Review is Friday 3^rd September 2021.

If I am Still Unhappy After I Have Received the Outcome of an Appeal to the Awarding Organisation, is there Anything I Can Do?

Yes, you can apply to Ofqual’s Exam Procedures Review Service to review the process undertaken by the awarding organisation. To make an application please click the link: Apply for an Exam Procedure Review by Ofqual