When students move to Key Stage 5 we use exam grades when we talk about how successfully students are learning the curriculum. This is because students follow a curriculum set out clearly by our chosen exam boards. Through the final exams, students are assessed in line with Assessment Objectives, which the boards share through exam specification documents. It is the marks gained against these objectives which are ultimately converted into exam grades.
Although we do not formally assess against a fluency scale at KS5, the principles of the journey to fluency remain the same and underpin our approach to teaching throughout the school.
When do we assess students?
A-levels
Year 12 students are assessed informally, in class, throughout the course. They take informal assessments in the spring term, this information is shared with parents. They sit their first set of mock exams in June. These are formal exams, sat in a larger exam venue.
Year 13 students sit their formal mock examinations after Christmas, results are shared with parents in January.
External A-level exams begin with practicals in April before ‘formal’ exams begin in May.
BTEC
Year 12 BTEC students will complete two units during this year. They will be assessed either via internal marked and external moderated assignments or external exams. Students will be awarded points for each unit completed. The number of points awarded depends on the unit studied and the grade achieved.
Year 13 BTEC students will complete two further units during this year. They will be assessed either via internal marked and external moderated assignments or external exams. Students will be awarded points for each unit completed. The number of points awarded depends on the unit studied and the grade achieved.
What have we assessed?
Our Assessment Certificate includes a current performance grade for each subject a student is studying. These performance grades are teachers’ current judgement on the grades that best represent how a student is likely to perform based on a range of factors:
- their current performance across the syllabus
- their performance in the January assessments
- the effectiveness of their learning routines
Please remember that there is variation across courses in terms of:
- the relative weighting of examined and non-examined content
- how much of the syllabus was assessed in the January assessments
This has been taken into account by teachers when assigning performance grades.
The BTEC Level 3 equivalents would roughly be as follows:
What other information does the Assessment Certificate provide?
Learning routines are vital and the five we focus on are below. In this report, teachers have recorded how well each student is:
- paying attention and
- engaging with practice
We use the language of ENOUGH, JUST ENOUGH, NOT ENOUGH to flag up where students may be ‘coasting’ or struggling with learning so that we can address this.