Examinations & Assessments Update

Exams and Assessments Update – grading for students on FE courses levels 1-3:  

This update applies to V-TAG, A levels and GCSE only. Different arrangements are in place for Access programmes and other vocational awards.

We appreciate that you have experienced a level of disruption this year and consequently the following information is designed to inform you on how grades will be awarded for summer 2021. The College has been asked by its Awarding Organisations to award a final grade that reflects the standard at which you are currently working.  This is referred to as Centre Determined Grading (CDG) or Vocational – Teacher Assessed Grading (V-TAG).  No statistical judgement will be made, grades will be based on your tutor’s judgement using a range of evidence that has been agreed with the Awarding Organisations.

To support this process the College has devised a Centre Determined Grading Policy that can be found on the SERC website should you and your parents wish to read it.

The process that the College will be using is very clear:

1. The Grade that you will be awarded is based on the standard you are performing at.  This is different to last year where the grade was based on the grade you were likely to achieve.
2. To ensure fairness the College has outlined the range of evidence it will be using to inform grading decisions.
3. This approach will be applied consistently across all students entered for the same subject. 
4. Flexibility has been put in place to ensure no student has been disadvantaged.
5. In exceptional circumstances e.g. illness or adverse circumstances where a student has been more significantly disrupted in comparison to his/her class, then that student will be considered for extenuating circumstances.
6. Your tutors will make contact with you to ensure that we have sufficient evidence to make a grading decision that is fair, reliable and accurate.
7. Your tutors will guide and assist you and your parents through the process.
8. Finally, an Academic Appeals Procedure is available following the communication of results. We are awaiting final guidance from the awarding organisations but it will be posted on the website and we will notify you when it has been issued.               

In these last few weeks, please continue to work with your tutors to gather together the final pieces of evidence on which your grade will be based.