General Qualifications Bulletin - UK - Issue 17
Dear Colleague,
I would like to start by wishing those of you taking part in the upcoming examination series good luck. If there is any last-minute information you need about conducting examinations for this series you can find this on our Exams web page. If you have any questions then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. Alternatively, there are lots of helpful articles on our Exams Officers support pages.
I know from speaking to some of you that the uncertainties around the details for assessments in summer 2022 continue to be frustrating. This edition of the bulletin does not contain lots of new information about summer 2022. As I have mentioned in previous editions, I am expecting that the outcomes of the Department for Education and Ofqual consultation will be available in the coming weeks and we will work as quickly as possible to let you know what this means for our qualifications. I am also expecting that the Department for Education and Ofqual will be looking to confirm arrangements for grading in summer 2022 in the coming weeks.
For information on summer 2022 please visit our dedicated Summer 2022 support page. If you have any questions that relate to summer 2021 then please visit our Summer 2021 support page.
You can also follow us on Twitter (@PearsonEdexcel) to keep up to date. If you would like to speak to us directly, you can get in touch with any questions via our contact form, or by calling the relevant team for your role.
4 October 2021 – First AS/A level examinations
1 November 2021 – First GCSE and International GCSE examinations.
Timetables
The final timetables for all UK and International qualifications in October and November can now be found on our Exam timetables web page.
Autumn (October/November) 2021 series fees
We have decided to freeze autumn (October/November) 2021 exam fees for all our general qualifications (GCSE, International GCSE and AS/A level). This means that the fees for this series will remain the same as the fees published for summer 2021.
Digital Learner Work Transfer
The following units will be using the Digital Learner Work Transfer system in the October series.
More information about the system, including how to upload samples and accepted file formats, can be found on the Learner Work Transfer web page.
GCSE Art & Design:
- 1AD0_02
- 1FA0_02
- 1GC0_02
- 1PY0_02
- 1TD0_02
- 1TE_02
A level Art & Design:
- 9AD0_02
- 9FA0_02
- 9GC0_02
- 9PY0_02
- 9TD0_02
- 9TE0_02
For all other subjects, samples will be submitted as hard copies in the usual way. You can find out more about coursework and NEA submission on our website.
We know that some customers may be intending to sit exams in January 2022. Please make sure that you have checked our International Qualifications Exam Series list (PDF|0.1MB) to see which International GCSE qualifications are available in the series as some amendments have been made.
The final timetables for the series are also available on our Exam timetables web page. We can confirm that there will be no adjustments made to assessments for this series, other than the changes to International GCSE English Literature 4ET1.
January 2022 timetables
The final timetables for all International qualifications in January are on our Exam timetables web page.
Digital Learner Work Transfer - January Units
The following units will also be using the Digital Learner Work Transfer system in the January series.
More information about the system, including how to upload samples and accepted file formats, can be found on our Learner Work Transfer web page.
Project Qualification
- P101 Foundation
- P201 Higher
- P301 Extended
- P302 Extended
- P303 Extended
International GCSE
- 4ET_03 English Language A
- 4ET_01 English Literature
For all other subjects, samples will be submitted as hard copies in the usual way. You can find out more about coursework and NEA submission on our Coursework / NEA web page.
In July the DfE and Ofqual released their consultation on the format of assessments in summer 2022 for UK GCSE, AS and A level. We are awaiting the final outcome. Full details can be found in the DfE and Ofqual proposed changes document (PDF|0.5MB).
Whilst we await these confirmations, the proposals for each subject are set out in Annex A of the consultation document. Whilst the proposals are not confirmed they may help you with planning and teaching and learning, something that you have told us you are keen to get finalised as soon as possible.
Ofqual has finished consulting on arrangements for non-examined assessments in 2022. The consultation was on subjects with practical elements. The outcomes can be found on the Ofqual website. We’ll continue to keep our Summer 2022 support page up to date with the latest information.
We are also working on arrangements for International GCSE qualifications and will share a further update once confirmed. Our intention is to utilise those measures outlined in the Ofqual consultation i.e. optionality and further exam support as appropriate for the individual International GCSE subjects, in order to align the level of support with that for the UK GCSEs.
The provisional timetables for all UK and International qualifications in May/June 2022 are available on our Exam timetables web page. The window for you to provide feedback has now closed and we are working through the comments that have been provided. As soon as timetables are finalised they will be published on our website and we’ll let you know either through this bulletin or the Exams Officer Update.
ResultsPlus
ResultsPlus is an online results analysis tool that is included in your qualification entry fee that gives you a detailed breakdown of your students’ performance in Pearson Edexcel exams.
ResultsPlus provides detailed analysis of your learners' performance and will help you to identify potential topics, skills and types of questions where students may need to develop their learning further. Whilst there hasn’t been a typical examination series for a while, you may find it helpful to understand how your students’ performance compares with class and Pearson Edexcel national averages and to gather some insight data that may support effective teaching and learning approaches. Find out more about ResultsPlus.
Many centres will be focused on delivering Mock exams this term and using those mock exam results to inform intervention and revision. The ResultsPlus Mock analysis service can help you get the most from that data. We will be running ResultsPlus Mock Analysis training sessions for customers later this term, look out for your invitation soon.
examWizard
In addition to ResultsPlus we also have our examWizard tool. This is also included as part of your qualification entry fee and is an online resource containing a huge bank of past paper questions and support materials to help you create your own mock exams and assessments. It is available for a range of GCSE, International GCSE, A level subjects, BTEC and Functional Skills. Find out more about examWizard.
We are always looking to recruit examiners across our qualifications. This is an excellent opportunity to gain invaluable insight into assessment and to work with other examiners to get some fresh teaching and learning ideas and approaches for your subject. More information about our vacancies, the application criteria and which subjects are currently recruiting can be found on our Assessment Associates web page.
There is a new Teaching, Learning and assessment page for Vocational and Technical qualifications in 2021/22. You will find the latest information and support for our vocational qualifications on this web page, where you can also find news and updates, with links to our regular VQ Bulletin which contains all the key updates you need for our vocational qualifications. Please do bookmark this page for future reference.
