Assessment (Condition TQ6)
Rules and guidance about assessment in Technical Qualifications
- TQ6.1 An awarding organisation must ensure that in respect of each assessment for a Technical Qualification which it makes available, or proposes to make available, it complies with any requirements, and has regard to any guidance, which may be published by Ofqual and revised from time to time.
Condition TQ6.1 allows us to specify requirements and guidance in relation to the assessment of Technical Qualifications.
We set out our requirements for the purposes of Condition TQ6.1 below.
Assessment structure
An awarding organisation must ensure that the assessments for each Technical Qualification are comprised of –
- (a) assessment of the core knowledge, understanding and skills which underpin all of the occupations covered by the T Level of which the Technical Qualification forms part (together ‘the Core Assessments’), and
- (b) assessment of the specific knowledge, skills and behaviours relevant to one or more of the occupations covered by the relevant T Level (‘the Occupational Specialisms’).
With respect to Condition G1.3, an awarding organisation must ensure that the criteria against which Learners’ performance will be differentiated in each assessment for each Technical Qualification require the allocation of numerical marks based on the level of attainment each Learner has demonstrated.
Under Condition E4.2(f) and (g), in designing the assessments for each Technical Qualification, an awarding organisation must ensure that those assessments are capable of accurately differentiating between Learners on the basis of attainment using the full range of available grades.
(a) The Core Examination
An awarding organisation must ensure that core knowledge and understanding is assessed primarily through one or more Assessments by Examination set by the awarding organisation (‘the Core Examination’).
(b) The Core Project
An awarding organisation must ensure that core skills are assessed through a project completed in line with a brief set by the awarding organisation working with any relevant employer(s) (‘the Core Project’). In setting each brief for the Core Project an awarding organisation must work with an employer who employs staff working in occupations relevant to the Technical Qualification.
An awarding organisation must ensure that each project brief:
- ensures a motivating starting point for Learners’ Core Projects, for example, a real-world problem to solve,
- ensures Learners can generate evidence that covers the assessment objectives,
- is manageable for Centres to deliver, and
- is officially approved by the awarding organisation and the employer with whom it has worked to develop the brief.
In relation to the project briefs for the Core Project, an awarding organisation must ensure that:
- those briefs do not become predictable,
- the knowledge, skills and understanding required of Learners continue to keep pace with the needs of industry, and
- a sufficient number of brief(s) are available for Learners to choose from to reflect the number and breadth of Occupation Specialism(s) within the Technical Qualification.
In addition to assessing core skills, the Core Project may also require Learners to demonstrate core knowledge and understanding as relevant.
(c) The Occupational Specialisms
In its specification for a Technical Qualification, an awarding organisation must set out the combinations of Occupational Specialisms that may and may not be taken together as part of the same qualification. Those combinations must be in line with any requirements specified by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.
An awarding organisation must ensure that –
- (a) each assessment for an Occupational Specialism is set by the awarding organisation in line with the Outline Content,
- (b) each Occupational Specialism is assessed separately, and
- (c) as far as possible, the performance outcomes for an Occupational Specialism set out in the relevant Outline Content are assessed together in a way that allows Learners to draw together knowledge, skills and behaviours.
Number of assessments
In respect of each Technical Qualification that it makes available, an awarding organisation must –
- (a) use the smallest possible number of assessments to meet the requirements outlined above, while ensuring that the assessments are manageable, and
- (b) explain its approach to the number of assessments used in its assessment strategy.
Controls around assessments
An awarding organisation must ensure that each assessment which is not an Assessment by Examination is designed and set to –
- (a) require each Learner to produce such evidence as is required to enable the awarding organisation to assess the extent to which the Learner has met all of the criteria against which Learners’ performance in the assessment will be differentiated, and
- (b) be taken under conditions specified by the awarding organisation, including, in particular, conditions which ensure that the evidence generated by each Learner can be Authenticated.
An awarding organisation must explain in its assessment strategy its approach to controls for –
- (a) the Core Examination,
- (b) the Core Project, and
- (c) Occupational Specialism assessments.
Timing of assessments
In respect of a Technical Qualification which it makes available, an awarding organisation must provide –
- (a) Two assessment series in each academic year in respect of the Core Assessments,
- (b) At least one but not more than two assessment series in each academic year in respect of the assessments for the Occupational Specialisms.
An awarding organisation must ensure that -
- (a) in each assessment series in respect of Core Assessments, both the Core Project and Core Examination are made available,
- (b) each Learner takes all of the assessments for the Core Examination in a single assessment series,
- (c) each Learner takes all of the assessments for the Core Project in a single assessment series,
- (d) each Learner takes all of the assessments for each individual Occupational Specialism in a single assessment series,
- (e) a Learner may take the Core Project and the Core Examination in different assessment series (including assessment series in different academic years), and
- (f) a Learner may take the Core Assessments and the assessments for an Occupational Specialism in different assessment series (including assessment series in different academic years).
An awarding organisation must set out its approach to the availability of assessments in its assessment strategy.
Retakes
Subject to the requirements below, a Learner may take an assessment for the qualification again in any assessment series in which that assessment is delivered.
An awarding organisation must ensure that a Learner may retake –
- (a) the Core Examination,
- (b) the Core Project,
- (c) the assessments for an Occupational Specialism, or
- (d) any combination of these.
For clarity, where a Learner retakes the Core Examination he or she should not be required to retake the Core Project, and vice versa.
An awarding organisation must ensure that a Learner retakes all of the assessments for the Core Examination, the Core Project or an Occupational Specialism, as relevant.
An awarding organisation must also ensure that a Learner retakes all of the assessments within the Core Examination, the Core Project or an Occupational Specialism in a single assessment series.
So, for example, if the awarding organisation uses two assessments for the Core Examination, a Learner must retake both of those assessments in a single assessment series.
However, where a Learner retakes more than one of the Core Examination, the Core Project or an Occupational Specialism, an awarding organisation may allow a Learner to take each set of relevant assessments in a different assessment series. So, for example, where a Learner retakes both the Core Examination and the Core Project, an awarding organisation may allow him or her to take the assessments for the former in one assessment series and the assessments for the latter in a different series.
An awarding organisation must set out its approach to retakes in its assessment strategy.
Marking of assessments
Evidence generated by a Learner in the Core Examination must be marked by the awarding organisation or a person connected to the awarding organisation.
Evidence generated by a Learner in the Core Project and assessments for the Occupational Specialisms must be marked by the awarding organisation or a person connected to the awarding organisation, save to the extent that marking by a Centre is necessary to ensure the validity and/or manageability of the relevant assessment.
An awarding organisation must justify any marking by a Centre in its assessment strategy, and set out its approach to the Moderation of such marking. It must also demonstrate to Ofqual’s satisfaction in its assessment strategy that –
- (a) it has taken all reasonable steps to identify the risk of any Adverse Effect which may result from its approach to marking assessments, and
- (b) where such a risk is identified, it has taken all reasonable steps to prevent that Adverse Effect or, where it cannot be prevented, to mitigate that Adverse Effect.
Condition TQ6.1 allows us to set guidance in relation to the assessment of technical qualifications. We set out our guidance for the purposes of Condition TQ6.1 below.
Weighting of Core Assessments
We expect the Core Examination to represent a larger proportion of the Core Assessments than the Core Project.
As such, we expect the Core Project to account for between 25 – 40%, and the Core Examination to account for between 60 – 75%, of the total marks available for the Core Assessments.
In line with the requirements set under Condition TQ3.1(b), an awarding organisation must explain its approach to the weighting of the Core Assessments in its assessment strategy.
In line with the requirements published under Condition TQ6.1:
evidence generated by a Learner in the Core Project and assessments for the Occupational Specialisms must be marked by the awarding organisation or a person connected to the awarding organisation, save to the extent that marking by a Centre is necessary to ensure the validity and/or manageability of the relevant assessment.
The default position therefore is that these assessments will be marked by the awarding organisation.
Indeed, the expectation is that where it is possible for an awarding organisation to mark part, but not all of an assessment, it should mark those parts. For example, there may be parts of the assessment for an Occupational Specialism which can only validly be assessed by a Centre, whereas the remaining parts can be assessed by the awarding organisation.
In considering any potential division of marking between the awarding organisation and Centres, the awarding organisation should also consider the requirement –
- (a) to use the smallest number of assessments, whilst ensuring manageability, and
- (b) to assess performance outcomes for an Occupational Specialism together, as far as possible, so as to allow Learners to draw together relevant knowledge, skills and behaviours.
Furthermore, an awarding organisation must have due regard to any requirements that form part of the contract between it and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.
As part of its consideration of whether Centre-marking is necessary, an awarding organisation should consider the extent to which the following factors, if significant in scale, are relevant and, if so, whether their effect can be managed or mitigated without Centre-marking –
- (a) where the evidence generated by Learners is likely to arise spontaneously and/or be ephemeral in nature – and where this may lead to significant or insurmountable logistical difficulties in terms of an awarding organisation arranging to be present for every assessment;
- (b) where the assessment would require repeat measurement over an extended period of time, potentially including measurement of multiple aspects across multiple Learners, rather than measurement on a single occasion – and where this may lead to significant or insurmountable logistical difficulties in terms of an awarding organisation being present for the whole period of the assessment;
- (c) where the presence of an Assessor could significantly affect the assessment, for example because it may place undue pressure on Learners and therefore undermine fairness, or could require the assessment to be designed and/or completed in an artificial way which would undermine validity;
- (d) where the presence of an Assessor is not possible owing to issues of sensitivity and/or confidentiality with respect to individuals required to participate in the assessment(s) for a particular Technical Qualification.
These factors are not exhaustive. Ultimately, an awarding organisation should base its consideration of whether or not the use of Centre-marking is required on the content for the Technical Qualification in question. It should consider and balance the factors above alongside any others it considers relevant. An awarding organisation may, for example, attach greater weight to a particular factor in relation to one Technical Qualification than in relation to another. An awarding organisation should only consider an approach that includes Centre-marking where the risks to validity or manageability are significant and cannot be managed or mitigated without the use of Centre-marking.
Where it uses Centre-marking, an awarding organisation should have regard to the guidance set out in this document in relation to the Moderation of assessments for Technical Qualifications.
In line with Condition TQ9.1(b), an awarding organisation must also ensure that it provides training to any Centre-based Assessors.