Submitting A level History coursework in Summer 2017
This update contains a quick summary of how to submit A level History coursework marks and samples. It includes a reminder of the submission deadline and the materials you need to send to the moderator, and lots of other useful advice and links. There is also one very important change to the process this year which teachers need to know about!
Let's start with the important change…
This year we will no longer be sending out hard copy OPTEMS forms (optically scanned mark sheets) for you to submit coursework marks. This means that all marks will need to be submitted online via Edexcel Online.
So… no more waiting for OPTEMS to arrive in the post and instead you will need to familiarise yourself with the process of submitting marks online. This is a straightforward process which is covered below.
How do I submit my coursework marks to Pearson?
You can no longer submit marks on an OPTEMS form (optically scanned mark sheets) so all marks must be submitted online via Edexcel Online.
For each student you should submit the raw mark out of 40 (the legacy specification has a mark out of 50). Please do not try to double the mark or convert them into a percentage or grade.
Important: You may need to amend your Edexcel Online access to allow you to submit coursework 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 Edxcel 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 coursework 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 now but you won’t be able to view the requested sample until the beginning of April 2017.
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 coursework 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 coursework marks?
The final date for submitting A level History coursework 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 A level History coursework 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 the history assessment team at history@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.
Your centre will receive a stationery send which will contain envelopes suitable for sending coursework to the moderator.
What other materials need to be sent to the moderator?
As well as the sample of student work and Edexcel Online print out of student marks, you should also send to the moderator the relevant students' completed resource record sheets and students' individual candidate authentication/mark sheets.
If you have used our new specification coursework advisory service you should send the moderator a copy of the feedback proforma(s) you received. Please note this is not a compulsory service so only send this if you used the service.
Please note that you do not need to send copies of interpretations used by students to the moderator.
Teachers who have students entered for legacy A level (re-takes only) should send the moderator a copy of the coursework programme followed - this can be a copy of the relevant page from Getting Started.
Where is the mark scheme?
This may seem obvious, but we always get a lot of queries asking where the mark schemes are.
There are no topic-specific mark schemes for A level History coursework. There is only a generic mark scheme which can be found at the back of the specification.
Where can I find exemplar work?
We've made available examples of marked work to help exemplify the mark scheme level descriptors. You'll find it helpful to look at this range of exemplars to gain a better understanding of the marking criteria. There are currently exemplars on the Salem witch trials, Thomas Cromwell, Appeasement and the French Revolution available on the A level qualification page.
We will make more examples of coursework available after the Summer series.
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 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 coursework 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 strands/levels are perceived would be helpful. It would also help to see a summary of the marking answer profile against each bullet point in the mark scheme using the following as an example:
BP1 (Bullet Point 1): L4+ (High Level 4)
BP2: L3 (Level 3)
BP3: L4- (Low Level 4)
BP4: L3+
BP5: L4
This could be provided as a summary at the end of the student’s assignment or on the coursework mark and authentication sheet, together with summative comments which explain why the final overall level and mark were awarded.
You should mark and annotate the work in ink. Initial marking may be done in pencil until you are 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 coursework grades will be awarded at the end of each examination series using the standard code of practice awarding process.
Grade boundaries are always published on the grade boundaries page of our website. They will be available to download from results day.
E9 Moderator Report
While moderating your centre's coursework, the moderator will write an E9 report which will provide you with detailed feedback on your marking and administration. You will be able to download this report on results day. More details on how to access your E9 report will be provided in my results day update.
Teachers' guide
Further support and guidance can be found in the Getting Started Guide for A level History.
I hope you've found this update useful. If you have any further questions about the submission of coursework, please do not hesitate to contact me.
