We have been working with the qualification regulators and other awarding organisations to introduce, where appropriate, adaptations to the assessment of qualifications in 2021/22 to mitigate some of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Where an adaptation has been made to the assessment of a unit/qualification, teachers are still required to teach the full course content.
Unit Teacher Assessed Grades (Unit TAGs) awarded to learners who were mid-way through their qualification in Summer 2021 (e.g. Years 10 and 12), remains a primary mitigation for disruption to teaching and learning experienced in 2020/21.
We have summarised below the main adaptations that apply to our qualifications. The specific adaptation used for each qualification takes into account the purpose and structure of the qualification and the associated assessment methods.
Information on adaptations and assessment arrangements for your specific subject can be found in our Adaptations 2021/22: Vocational Qualifications and other General Qualifications booklet.
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Additional assessment opportunities
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We have introduced additional assessment opportunities for both the internal and external units in many of our vocational qualifications. Information on our assessment timetables and key deadlines can be found here.
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Streamlining within assessment
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For some qualifications, we have made amendments to the internal assessment tasks e.g., the removal of duplication of assessment of the same/similar skill or removing specific tasks/assessment criterion or combining related assessments.
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Flexibility of windows for assessments
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We have extended the assessment window for some of our qualifications by releasing assessment tasks and/or pre-release material earlier or extending the deadline for the submission of work for marking/moderation
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Advance information
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We will be providing Advance Information about the focus of some of the content of the exams for some of our qualifications (see below).
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Adjustments to work placement requirements
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We will waive or adjusting work experience or placement requirements, for example allowing learners to undertake a shorter period of work experience/placement
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To support students’ revision, we will provide advance information about the focus of some of the content of most* of our exams for the following qualification suites:
- Level 3 Applied Certificates and Diplomas
- Children’s Care, Play Learning and Development: Practice and Theory
- Health and Social Care: Principles and Contexts
Advance Information for our Applied Certificate and Diploma qualifications can be found, under ‘Key Documents’, on the relevant subject pages.
* Advance Information will not be provided for the external examination in the Applied Certificate and Diploma in Medical Science as these examinations already include the use of pre-release materials. We will not publish Advance Information for examinations that have no candidates entered by the AI publication date.
Our Adaptations 2021/22: Vocational Qualifications and other General Qualifications booklet has been updated to indicate which units will have Advance Information.
We continue to work with qualification regulators and other awarding organisations to monitor the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and to identify and consider any contingency arrangements which may be necessary in the event of any potential worsening public health situation that results in significant disruption to a learner’s ability to take their assessments.
Should you have any questions or would like further support with the delivery of your qualifications, please contact our subject teams, we will be very happy to support you.
We are working with Ofqual and other awarding bodies to discuss and agree the approach to grading vocational and other general qualifications in January and Summer 2022. Our approach will seek to ensure that our vocational learners are treated equitably compared with their GCSE and A level peers.
Please note that any adaptations to assessment arrangements for Summer 2022 are not intended to be carried forward to Summer 2023. Centres should therefore be planning to deliver the entire specification for all subjects. Specifications can be found on our qualifications pages.