FAQ docs and list

Friday, 05 March 2010 17:29

On these pages you will find some of the questions that we are asked most frequently.

Why do we need accredited qualifications?

If qualifications were not accredited, how would their value be guaranteed? How could standards and quality be assured? Accreditation gives nationally recognised proof that a qualification has met specific criteria. This gives employers and others confidence in the qualification’s standards, quality and relevance. It also makes sure that each qualification is consistent across different awarding organisations and over the passage of time.

What are awarding organisations and how can I find them?

Awarding organisations are responsible for developing and awarding qualifications. They also assess them, quality assure them and provide support to centres and candidates.

There are five recognised awarding organisation offering general qualifications through schools or other centres in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. They are:

The Assessment and Qualifications Alliance — Tel: 0870 410 1042

The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment — Tel: 028 9026 1200

Edexcel — tel: 0870 240 9800

Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Exams — Tel: 01223 553 998

The Welsh Joint Examinations Committee — Tel: 029 2026 5089

A list of awarding organisations recognised to deliver other qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland can be found on the The Register of Regulated Qualifications.

Who are the regulators and what do they do?

Regulators develop and publish criteria for the accreditation of qualifications and accredit qualifications against those criteria. They also review qualifications to ensure that standards are maintained — both across subject areas and over a period of time — and they make sure that awarding organisations comply with the rules set by government.

There are four regulators for external qualifications.

We are the regulator for England.

The Council for the Curriculum,  Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) is the regulator for Northern Ireland.

The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) is the regulator for Wales.

What is a centre?

Centres can be schools, colleges or the workplace. They answer to awarding organisations for the arrangements they make for assessing work that leads to a qualification of unit.

Key skills, National Vocational Qualifications and accredited qualifications

Example key skills test papers are available for centres to use as practice papers for candidates. Centres can request copies of the mark schemes for these papers from the relevant awarding organisation. All qualifications, across every subject area, are included in pupil achievement and attainment tables. A hyperlink attached to each one reveals the points score. You can search for the qualifications you need via the The Register of Regulated Qualifications.

What is the exams timetable?

Our examinations timetable works across all five awarding organisations and covers GCSEs, GCEs, GNVQs, VCEs, ELCs, AEAs, FSMQs and STEPs. It is used by centres and students to create their own personalised exams timetable. You can search for and select exams, build a complete timetable and then export it into a spreadsheet and print it out.

A level and GCSE exams

Can I get my exam paper back?

Yes. Talk to your teachers. Your centre can apply for a copy of your exam paper to be returned.

What do I do if I think there was a mistake on my question paper?

Talk to your teachers as soon as possible. Your centre will contact the awarding organisation concerned. If there was a genuine error on the question paper, this will be taken into account when exam grades are awarded.

I have lost my certificate. What can I do?

If you lose your original certificate you cannot claim a replacement, but you can apply for a certifying statement of results from the appropriate awarding organisation. This is an official document and is universally acknowledged as proof of your examination results. If you can’t remember which awarding organisation it is, contact your school or centre.

Accessing qualifications

What are access arrangements?

Access arrangements are adjustments that can be made to examination or test conditions to make sure that everyone has the same chance of success. Some can be arranged internally by your school or centre; others need to be requested in advance through the awarding organisation. For general qualifications, the main ones that schools and centres can apply for are: early opening; additional time; someone to read from the examination papers; someone to write the answers; and special consideration (for when an outside event or circumstance affects your performance).

Can I get extra help in my examinations?

Sometimes. Talk to your teachers who will help you with access arrangements in class. For example, a modified exam paper is available for a visually impaired candidate. Your centre will check the Joint Council for Qualifications regulations to check which particular arrangements are available for you for each exam.

What happens if I miss my exam through no fault of my own?

Your centre can request special consideration if you were absent from an examination or disadvantaged during it due to illness, injury, indisposition or other unforeseen circumstances — immediately before or during the examination period. This would also apply if you had special access arrangements approved, but not implemented on the day of the exam. However, it only allows for a small adjustment to your mark of between two per cent and five per cent of the question paper. It is generally only in exceptional cases where five per cent is agreed. For example, where you have been disadvantaged by the recent death of an immediate family member.

Complaints

I’m unhappy about the teaching at my centre. What should I do?

Talk to your teachers if you are unhappy with the quality of teaching of GCSEs or GCEs. If they can’t resolve your query you then need to talk to the head of the centre. Each centre has a complaints and appeals procedure that you can follow. This might mean you taking your complaint to the centre’s governing board. You might also want to contact your local education authority because they have an interest in the performance of centres in their area.

I am unhappy with my results. What should I do?

Talk to your teachers. They can contact the awarding organisation concerned to request an enquiry about your results. This can range from a clerical check to a total re-marking of an exam paper or re-moderating coursework. Your grade will then be confirmed, raised or lowered.

If you’re still unhappy, your centre can send a formal appeal to the awarding organisation. If the formal appeal process doesn’t help, your centre can send a further appeal to the independent Examinations Appeals Board. The processes for raising an enquiry are outlined in this flowchart.

I am unhappy with the awarding organisation. What should I do?

Information about complaints can be found within our customer service promise and aims.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 22 November 2011 10:52 Tags: A Levels, AEAs, AS Levels, complaints, examinations, exams, FAQs, frequently asked questions, GCEs, GCSEs, qualifications, timetable