Education CommitteeFurther written evidence submitted by Ofqual

Question 1—Are you satisfied that exam boards have taken steps to improve their moderator feedback to schools/colleges? Will it be clear to centres in future if they have marked slightly generously/severely but within tolerance? How do you plan to check this?

As part of our work to monitor this summer’s awards we have made clear to exam boards that they should improve their feedback to schools. We have included this matter in a letter we sent to exam boards recently and are seeking assurances in that they are putting improvements in place.

Our regular monitoring activities incorporate checks on a range of systems and processes, including exam board management of the summer activities of moderation, marking and grading. The monitoring work also enables us to be ready to take any action quickly if necessary. We are checking whether exam boards’ systems and processes can provide the enhanced information to schools that have marked slightly generously/severely but within tolerance. We will then discuss with ASCL and NAHT how desirable this additional information would be to schools, bearing in mind the additional costs that exam boards would incur to provide it.

Question 2—Who stipulates the tolerance to be applied to internally assessed units in GCSEs? Are you planning to extend the tighter tolerance to other GCSE subjects?

Our Code of Practice requires exam boards to moderate makrs that have been given to internally assessed units. The exam boards set the tolerance that they use in moderating the marks.

We supported the action taken by exam boards before exams in November 2012 to implement a tighter tolerance (+/-3% of the maximum mark for the unit) for GCSE English and English language. We are gathering evidence of the impact of that change, from the November 2012, January 2013 and the June 2013 series of exams.

The current tolerance (+/-6% of the maximum mark for the unit) is used for all other GCSE subjects and all A level subjects with coursework/controlled assessment. This tolerance was first used by exam boards for curriculum 2000 A levels and was then adopted for new GCSEs when they were introduced in 2003.

We are planning to commission some research that will provide an evidence-based method for determining appropriate moderation tolerances for summer 2014 and beyond. In the meantime there is no evidence to suggest the tighter tolerances should be extended to any other subjects.

Question 3––Have you seen an improvement in exam board communication with schools and colleges this year? Are you satisfied that schools are now sufficiently aware that grade boundaries might change from one exam series to the next and that they understand the reasons for this?

As part of our work to monitor the January 2013 GCSE English exam series, we commissioned an independent review of exam boards’ activities, including their communication with schools and colleges. The review indicated to us that such communication is improving. Additionally, as a result of the review, we asked exam boards to take some additional specific actions. As noted earlier, we will continue to monitor exam board communication.

As well as this, we have published on our website an explanation of the differences between marking and grading (see http://www.ofqual.gov.uk/help-and-advice/about-marking-and-grading/). This is part of our plan for communicating with schools and colleges ahead of the summer 2013 awards.

Question 4—Your second report identified that some schools had been marking controlled assessment slightly generously but within tolerance and that this had contributed to the problems experienced last year. Will you be asking exam boards to monitor this “slightly generous but within tolerance” marking more closely in future?

We are monitoring a number of risks to summer 2013 awarding in GCSE English. This is one of those and we have asked exam boards how they will review, ahead of awarding, evidence of marking trends within tolerance.

Question 5—WJEC has increased its market share in England in recent years in some qualifications. GCSE English is one such example. By contrast, CCEA has said that it will no longer be offering its GCSEs and A levels in England. Should WJEC, or in future Qualification Wales, continue to offer GCSEs to candidates in England? Should English exam boards be able to offer qualifications to candidates in Wales?

An exam board can offer regulated qualifications in England if it meets our requirements as an organisation and its qualification meets the rules set out for that specific qualification eg GCSEs.

Bodies that were offering qualifications in England before we were established have been allowed to continue under transitional arrangements. WJEC falls into this category. If we found that WJEC were not compliant with our requirements, we have powers to take any necessary action.

Qualification Wales will be a new body. If it wants to offer regulated qualifications in England it will need to demonstrate that it can meet our requirements and that each of its qualifications also meet the relevant regulatory requirements.

With regard to English exam boards offering qualifications in Wales, qualifications policy is a devolved matter. This means that it is for the Welsh Government to determine the qualifications to be taken in Wales.

I hope that this answers your questions, but if you would like any more detail on our work, we would be happy to provide it to you.

I have also included with this letter a note to clarify the change from 2011 to 2012 in the percentage of pupils awarded an A*–C in English or English language. This follows the letter from Leighton Andrews to the Committee on 15th March 2013.

April 2013