Getting ready for the summer 2018 exam series: A level

Final dates for submission of NEA: 15 May 2018

By 15 May 2018 you must have submitted your non-examination assessment (NEA) marks on Edexcel Online, and sent your sample (which will be available, with your moderator’s name and address on Edexcel Online from mid-April) to the moderator.

NEA guidance documents

The key information on NEA for each A level can be found in the following guides:

NEA authentication sheets

The non-examination authentication sheets can be found below:

Informing candidates of their centre assessed marks prior to submission

Candidates must be told the mark given by their centre for a centre assessed component/unit. This requirement is to enable candidates to request a review of the centre’s marking prior to the marks being submitted to the awarding body, should they wish to do so.  

Where can I find exemplar work? What help is there?

You can book live training events running into March for English Literature and for English Language and Literature.

The packs for these events will also be available in April.

You can use the training packs from the spring 2017 coursework standardisation training: 

For each English qualification, several examples of marked work are available to help exemplify the mark scheme level descriptors, the most recent from summer 2017 under ‘teaching and learning materials’ and then ‘exemplar materials’ on each qualification page.

Enhanced Principal Moderators' Reports also contain lots of useful guidance, together with several examples of NEA with moderator comments. These are also on the relevant qualification pages under 'examiner reports'.

Every year, some centres have their marks changed as a result of the moderation process, so please make sure you read the moderators' reports carefully.

Do I need to carry out internal standardisation?

In large centres with multiple teachers, it's essential that you carry out internal moderation before you finalise the NEA marks. You should sample double-mark, selecting mark points within the same level from different teaching sets. The double marking should continue until you are satisfied that you have achieved comparability.

Small schools with only one teacher need not carry out internal standardisation. It is helpful to include a covering note with your sample explaining that you are in this situation.

How should I annotate the work?

It's important that you annotate the NEA to show the moderator how you have interpreted the mark scheme and applied it to the students' work.

Indications in the margins as to where specific mark scheme levels are perceived, together with summative comments at the end of the NEA are ideal. Your annotation can be on the work itself or on the authentication sheet. Please ensure that the audience for your comments is clearly the moderator rather than the student.

You should mark and annotate the work in ink (rather than pencil). If you have already annotated in pencil, please make a note to use ink next year.

What are the grade boundaries?

You should not attempt to grade the work; you should be marking the work by applying the mark scheme in a consistent manner.

NEA grades will be awarded at the end of each examination series using the standard code of practice awarding process.

Grade boundaries, which are subject to change each exam series, are published on the grade boundaries page of our website.

For summer 2018, the grade boundaries will be available to download from results day: 16 August 2018. We publish notional component grade boundaries and actual grade boundaries. There is some scaling on our A levels (although not on the NEA component) and you should bear this in mind when consulting grade boundaries.  

Please also remember that the mark you submit to us should be the total raw mark.

A score of zero should only be used if a candidate has submitted work that is found to meet none of the assessment criteria. An X should be used for any candidate who is absent.

How do I submit my marks to Edexcel? And what do I do if I make a mistake?

Your marks should be submitted online via Edexcel Online/ EDI. You must print out a copy of the marks for the moderator and for your own records.

In order to enter marks you must have ‘basic access’ and ‘Coursework and Portfolio’ ticked on your Edexcel online profile. If you don’t have this, your exams officer can amend your profile. 

Where is the Edexcel Online link? 

If you need to be set up with an Edexcel Online account please ask your exams officer.

If you've forgotten your Edexcel Online password you can generate a new one:

If you've already submitted a mark but it needs to be amended (for example, because of an administrative error), please email the details to courseworkmarks@pearson.com.

Identifying the sample of work that needs to be sent to the moderator

On Edexcel Online, you'll see a tick next to the names of those students whose work needs to be sent for moderation. You also need to send the work of the highest- and lowest-scoring candidates in addition to the requested sample. If your highest or lowest scoring candidate is in the sample, please provide an additional folder/s. If any of the called-for candidates have been withdrawn or have incomplete submissions, please provide additional candidates' work of a comparable level, along with a covering note.

Who is my moderator?

The name and address of your moderator will be on Edexcel Online or EDI from mid-April.

Word counts, titles, quotations and bibliographies

Please see the specification guidance at the beginning of each NEA unit which gives clear information on word counts. Titles, bibliographies and footnotes (that are references rather than content) are not included in word counts. Quotations are included. Word counts are advisory and there is no penalty for exceeding them.

When are the summer exams (UK centres)? Open/closed book? Prescribed editions?

You can also consult our exam timetables page, which includes an exam date search function. International centres should consult the international exam timetables which are available on this page. 

English Language Exam Timetable 

English Language and Literature Exam Timetable

English Literature Exam Timetable

I hope you've found this update useful. If you have any further questions about the submission of NEA please do not hesitate to contact me.