April 2021 General Qualifications Summary
Summer 2021 General Qualifications: key information in a nutshell
Access the key information you need for summer 2021 and where you can get further help and support.
Please use the categories below to find the information that you require.
For information around teacher assessed grades (TAGs) in summer 2021, please sign up for our fortnightly bulletins (which are on summer 2021 only). You can also access the previous 5 editions below. The latest update for GCSE and A level went out on 31 March and 1 April for Int GCSE and IAL.
Access GCSE and A level bulletin (31 March 2021) here
Access International GCSE and Internation A level bulletin (1 April 2021) here
Access the previous bulletins here
Sign up for fortnightly bulletins here
For international qualifications, the grading guidance draws together everything you need to know for summer 2021 in one place. For GCSE and A level, there is the JCQ guide, our summary of it, and our TAG support under ‘course materials’ and ‘summer 2021 assessment materials for centres’ on our GCSE, AS and A level pages. See below.
International qualifications guidance:
GCSE and A level guidance:
The ‘summer 2021 assessment materials for centres’ published at the end of March are currently padlocked. From 19 April, past exam question summaries in these documents (but not mark schemes) will be published open access for students. Question papers and mark schemes in their usual positions on our qualification pages will remain padlocked under their usual release schedule. Autumn 2020 exam materials are due for padlock release in July 2021 (TBC).
Arrive at TAGs using a range of evidence. You can use the ‘additional assessment materials’ which are largely summaries of questions from past papers.
Use any of the 5 options described in the grading guidance below.
Pearson guidance on determination of grades (PDF, 1.36MB)
If using unseen materials on the scheduled days, access the timetables below:
You should continue to assess students as usual. There is support for remote assessment and remote invigilation. See link below.
Support for remote assessment and remote invigilation
As a last resort, where a centre can demonstrate it is not possible to live test individual learners, who are assessment ready, for safety reasons, it may be possible to provide a TAG.
Functional Skills TAG Guidance
Please note that applications can only be made for individual students and not cohorts.
Subject advisor
Tim Brady
Computer Science and ICT Subject Advisor
