Guidance

Teacher assessment moderation: standardisation and training process

Information for local authorities on training and standardisation for moderators of key stages 2 (KS2) English writing.

Standardisation provides schools with assurance that local authorities’ moderation teams have the required knowledge to complete moderation of KS2 English writing teacher assessment.

It ensures:

  • the consistency and accuracy of teacher assessment and its moderation across England
  • local authorities moderators are familiar with the KS2 English writing frameworks for the academic year 2023 to 2024

KS2 is moderated annually. Local authorities are required to moderate at least 25% of maintained schools and 25% of academies and participating independent schools that have opted into the local authority’s external moderation process.

Approval to moderate

Standardisation exercises are used to gain the Standards and Testing Agency’s (STA) approval to moderate and are undertaken annually.

STA approval to moderate English writing in 2024 will only be granted on successful completion of a standardisation exercise. All three standardisation exercises are available for all moderators to attempt. Each moderator will be allowed a maximum of two attempts out of the three exercises available.

Moderator training

Online self-guided training materials will continue this year and have now become the standard delivery method.

Training materials for the academic year 2023 to 2024 will be available on the Primary Assessment Gateway (PAG) on Monday 2 October 2023. Previous years’ training and standardisation materials will also be available for use if required. Local authorities can use these materials to support their delivery of moderator training.

We recommend that local authorities deliver training to their moderators before the moderators complete the standardisation exercise. This should preferably take place on separate days.

Standardisation and training timeline

Activities Dates
Training materials go live on the PAG 2 October 2023
All moderators can complete standardisation exercise 1 6 November to 17 November 2023
Local authorities to return exercise 1 moderation manager responses to STA - STA will mark moderation managers’ results. 6 November to 17 November 2023
Exercise 1 commentaries available on the PAG 20 November 2023
Local authorities to return overview survey of successful pool and lead moderators from exercise 1 to STA 20 November to 24 November 2023
All moderators who did not complete or were unsuccessful in exercise 1 to complete standardisation exercise 2 8 January to 19 January 2024
Local authorities to return exercise 2 moderation manager responses to STA - STA will mark moderation managers’ results 8 January to 19 January 2024
Exercise 2 commentaries available on the PAG 22 January 2024
Local authorities to return overview survey of successful pool and lead moderators from exercise 2 to STA 22 January to 26 January 2024
All moderators who did not complete or were unsuccessful in exercise 1 or 2 to complete standardisation exercise 3 12 February to 23 February 2024
Local authorities to return exercise 3 moderation manager responses to STA - STA will mark moderation managers’ results 12 February to 23 February 2024
Exercise 3 commentaries available on the PAG 26 February 2024
Local authorities to return overview survey of successful pool and lead moderators from exercise 3 to STA 26 February 2024 to 1 March 2024
Moderation managers to complete spreadsheet and share moderator names of all who passed standardisation with STA 26 February 2024 to 8 March 2024
STA to share blank KS2 ‘approval to moderate’ certificates with local authorities for the academic year 2023 to 2024 2 April 2024

Moderator training material overview for the academic year 2023 to 2024

To help you work with the new training materials, we have provided the following lists which outline what the training materials cover in more detail. This should make navigation easier for users.

Historic KS1 and KS2 training materials also available on the PAG.

2023 KS2 TE10 Dialogue

2023 Training exercise 10 (TE10): Evidencing dialogue at the expected standard (EXS)

  • Activity 1: Considering how speech and dialogue are used in pupil writing
    • Speech
    • Dialogue
  • Activity 1a: Exploring the reasons why pupils include speech in their writing
  • Activity 2: Evidencing dialogue at EXS
  • Activity 2a: Exploring evidence for dialogue at the expected standard
  • Activity 2b: Exploring dialogue that does not meet the statement at EXS
  • Activity 3: Considering whether dialogue is adequately evidenced in a single piece
  • Activity 3a: Exploring dialogue in a single piece

2023 KS2 TE11 Verbs

2023 Training exercise 11 (TE11): Identifying verb forms and evidencing tense and cohesion in relation to verbs

  • Activity 1: Identifying and exploring verb forms
  • Activity 1a: Reflecting on the role of verbs
    • What do verbs express?
    • Verbs in the national curriculum
    • Verbs in the teacher assessment framework
  • Activity 2: Considering verb tenses in pupil writing
  • Activity 2a: Exploring verb tenses in pupil writing
  • Activity 3: Considering how consistent and correct tenses support cohesion
  • Activity 3a: Evidencing how verb tense builds cohesion
  • Activity 4: Considering how the selection and manipulation of verb forms supports a variety of purposes
  • Activity 4a: Considering how verb forms are selected and manipulated to create effects

2023 KS2 TE12 Spelling

2023 Training exercise 12 (TE12): Evidencing the key stage 2 framework statements for spelling

  • Activity 1: Reflecting on the statements describing spelling
    • National curriculum for English: spelling in key stages 1 and 2
    • The framework statements for spelling at key stage 2
    • The statutory word lists
    • The qualifiers
  • Activity 1a: Evidencing the statutory word lists
    • ‘Uncommon’ and ‘more ambitious’ vocabulary
  • Activity 1b: Reflecting on ‘uncommon’ or ‘more ambitious’ vocabulary
    • Independence and spelling
  • Activity 1c: Evidencing independent spelling
    • Summary: Activity 1
  • Activity 2: Examining the evidence for spelling in pupil work
  • Activity 2a: Validating a judgement of WTS
  • Activity 2b: Distinguishing between EXS and WTS
  • Activity 2c: Examining spelling at EXS
  • Activity 3: Reflecting on a ‘particular weakness’ in spelling
  • Activity 3: Examining work by a pupil with a ‘particular weakness’

2023 KS2 TE13 Purpose

2023 Training exercise 13 (TE13): Writing for purpose and audience

  • Activity 1: Considering progression in writing for purpose and audience
    • The purpose of writing, writing for purpose and purposeful writers in the national curriculum
    • Writing research and the national curriculum
    • How texts are shaped by the writing context
    • Knowledge, understanding and skills necessary for writing for purpose and audience
  • Activity 1a: Reflecting on the knowledge, understanding and skills which support writing for purpose and audience
    • Progression in writing for purpose and audience in the curriculum
  • Activity 1b: Mapping progress in writing for purpose and audience
  • Activity 2: Reflecting on the distinctions between the statements related to writing for purpose and audience
  • Activity 3: Identifying evidence of writing for a range of purposes and audiences across the standards
    • Evidencing a range of purposes and audiences
  • Activity 3a: Reflecting on writing tasks – purpose and text type
    • Identifying evidence for ‘writing for purpose and audience’ across the assessment framework standards
  • Activity 3b: A recount in diary form
  • Activity 3c: A descriptive narrative – opening sequence
  • Activity 3d: A letter to instruct
  • Activity 3e: A discursive report – a newspaper article

2023 KS2 TE14 Register

2023 Training exercise 14 (TE14): Identifying and evidencing register and levels of formality at the expected standard (EXS) and working at greater depth (GDS)

  • Activity 1: Reflecting on register and formality
    • How do audience and purpose relate to register and formality?
  • Activity 1a: Reflecting on register in pupil writing
    • Register and levels of formality in the national curriculum
  • Activity 2: Considering Standard English and levels of formality
  • Activity 2a: Refreshing your understanding of what Standard English means
  • Activity 2b: Identifying register and levels of formality in pupil writing
  • Activity 3: Choosing the appropriate register and maintaining register in writing
    • Register and levels of formality in the assessment framework
  • Activity 3a: Evidencing register in pupil writing
    • Register at the expected standard
    • Register at the greater depth standard
  • Activity 3b: Considering how well register is controlled and maintained

2023 KS2 TE15 Register

2023 Training exercise 15 (TE15): The greater depth standard

  • Activity 1: Reflecting on moderating greater depth writing
  • Activity 1a: Moderating greater depth writing – typical scenarios
  • Activity 2: Exploring a range of greater depth writing
  • Activity 2a: News reports – ‘drawing on reading’ and levels of formality
  • Activity 2b: ‘Drawing on reading’ to support informal writing
  • Activity 2c: Explanation texts for different audiences – achieving clarity
  • Activity 2d: Descriptive narratives – vocabulary

Contact us

For any queries about local authority moderation or moderator training and standardisation, you can contact the national curriculum assessments helpline at 0300 303 3013.

Published 7 September 2018
Last updated 4 September 2023 + show all updates
  1. Updated for the academic year 2023 to 2024.

  2. Updated for the 2022/23 academic year.

  3. Section -- Approval to moderate - change of wording on standardisation exercise attempts - The second paragraph, last sentence has been changed to read as follows: Following feedback we have agreed, for this year, that moderators who were unsuccessful in standardisation exercise 1 will be allowed two further attempts to complete an exercise successfully instead of one further attempt. Section -- Standardisation and training timeline -- standardisation date changes -- The closing date to complete the standardisation exercise 2 has been changed to 3 February. Section -- STA to share KS1 and KS2 to complete blank approval to moderate certificates with Las for the 2022/22 test cycle. The date has been changed to 4 April.

  4. The section Approval to moderate, the last paragraph has been changed to read as follows: In response to the disruption schools and LAs are facing due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, STA will continue to allow LAs to decide how they deliver the exercises. Where exercises are carried out in the same room, it is expected that all national and local restriction guidance is followed.

  5. Edited Approval to moderate section.

  6. Updated approval to moderate section to include ‘Standardisation exercises should be completed in a central location, supervised by the LA moderation manager, or strategic lead in the case that a moderation manager is completing the exercise. This is to maintain the integrity of the exercise. Moderators should complete the exercise individually, without discussing the pupil collections'.

  7. Added section '2021/22 moderator training material overview'.

  8. Updates to standardisation and training process.

  9. Amendment to standardisation and training timeline and the moderation training events section.

  10. Updated for the 2020/21 academic year.

  11. Changes to standardisation training event and exercise dates for the 2019/20 test cycle. Updates to allow LAs to plan for the standardisation activities.

  12. Updated dates to confirm when approval to moderate letters will be issued.

  13. First published.