15 May 2017 - an important day!
This update contains a summary of what you need to do by 15 May for your students who are to be assessed on GCSE Geography (2009) A and B, AS Geography (2016) or International AS Level (2016) this summer.
Important change for new 2016 qualifications: Fieldwork
The new 2016 GCSE A and B, AS and A Level Geography and International A level specifications require students to undertake fieldwork which meets the minimum requirements of 2 days of fieldwork at GCSE, AS Level and International A level, and 4 days of fieldwork at A Level. Centres are required to provide evidence of this fieldwork in the form of a written fieldwork statement.
This fieldwork statement has to be submitted to us by the 15 May in each year of assessment.
We’ve produced the forms and guides to help you with this:
You can find International A level Geography forms and guidance on pages 72-73 of the specification:
For candidates who are unable to undertake fieldwork due to unforeseen circumstances, a covering letter should be attached to the Fieldwork Statement with candidate details (full candidate name, candidate number and centre number), as well as outlining why the candidate(s) is unable to attend. Centres should also submit a Special Requirement request for these candidates.
GCSE (2009) Controlled Assessment
How do I submit my controlled assessment marks to Pearson?
This year we will no longer be sending out hard copy OPTEMS forms (optically scanned mark sheets) for you to submit controlled assessment marks. This means that all marks will need to be submitted online via Edexcel Online.
OPTEMS will still be issued for Entry Level (Academic) as these qualifications are not on Edexcel Online.
For each student you should submit the raw mark out of 50. Please do not try to double the mark or convert it into a percentage, grade or UMS mark. Please also remember that there are no separate additional marks for SPaG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar) in controlled assessment.
Important.
You may need to amend your Edexcel Online access to allow you to submit controlled assessment marks online. To do this your Exams Officer will need to go into your Edexcel Online account and under ‘profiles’ tick the box next to ‘Coursework and Portfolio’. If they also tick the ‘Results’ box you will be able to view your E9 moderator report on results day.
After submitting marks online you should print out a copy of the marks for the moderator and a copy for your own records.
Where is the Edexcel Online link?
Links can be found on the Edexcel website:
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:
What happens if I make an error when submitting controlled assessment marks?
If you have already submitted a mark but it needs to be amended (eg because of an administrative error), please email courseworkmarks@pearson.com with details of the student and amended point score.
When will I be able to access Edexcel Online to submit marks and see the requested sample?
You should be able to start submitting marks and view the requested sample now.
How do I identify the sample of work that needs to be sent to the moderator?
When you log in to Edexcel Online and go to the controlled assessment mark submission screen there will be a tick next to the candidates' names that need to be sent for moderation. You also need to send the work of the highest- and lowest-scoring candidates if they are not part of the requested sample.
If, for some reason, you're unable to send the work for a particular student, you should send the work of an equivalent student with a similar mark. You should also write a note to the moderator explaining the reason for the change.
What is the deadline for submitting controlled assessment marks?
The final date for submitting GCSE controlled assessment marks and samples of work for the summer 2017 series is 15 May 2017.
This is the date by which you must have submitted your controlled assessment marks to us via Edexcel Online, and have sent your sample of student work to the moderator. Please note that your Exams Officer will have their own internal deadlines.
Where a centre has been affected by circumstances beyond its control, it may, in exceptional cases, be possible for us to grant a short extension.
Requests must be sent to emgeography@pearson.com.
Who is my moderator and what is their address?
Moderators are randomly allocated to centres. You will be able to find out your moderator’s name and address from early April via Edexcel Online.
What other materials need to be sent to the moderator?
Here is what we need:
- Sample of student work
- Edexcel Online print out of student marks
- Students' individual candidate record sheets
Do I need to carry out internal standardisation of marking?
In large centres with multiple teachers, it's essential that you carry out internal moderation before you finalise the coursework or controlled assessment 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.
How should I annotate the work?
It's important that you annotate the controlled assessment to show the moderator how you have interpreted the mark scheme and applied it to the students' work.
Indications against the markscheme on the candidate record sheet as to where specific assessment levels are perceived, together with summative comments are ideal.
You should mark and annotate the work in ink. Initial marking may be done in pencil until you're satisfied that you are applying the marking criteria accurately and consistently. Please then go over your marks and comments in ink. The colour of the ink is not important provided it is visibly different to the student’s work.
What are the grade boundaries?
You should not attempt to grade the work. You should be marking the work by applying the marking criteria in a consistent manner.
The controlled assessment grades will be awarded at the end of each examination series using the standard code of practice awarding process.
Grade boundaries are available to download from results day from the grade boundaries page.
Resitting linear GCSE and transferring controlled assessment marks
If a student is resitting the entire GCSE Geography (2009) qualification in summer 2017 and they certificated in summer 2016, then they do not need to retake controlled assessment. It is possible to transfer the controlled assessment mark across from the summer 2016 series.
In this is situation it is not necessary to enter for the controlled assessment unit - just enter for the examined units plus the overall cash-in code and last summer's controlled assessment mark will transfer across automatically.
E9 Moderator Report
While moderating your centre's controlled assessment, the moderator will write an E9 report which will give you detailed feedback on your marking and administration. You or your Exams Officer will be able to download this report on results day.
I hope you have found this update useful. If you have any further questions, please contact me.
