Assessment guidance for centres during...recommend the Virtual Assessment Board is completed by the end of June 2020 and the Virtual Assessment Board Template sent to your External

Centre Assessment Grades Guidance for BTEC Higher National qualifications

Assessment

Assessment guidance for centres during Coronavirus (COVID-19)

BTEC Higher Nationals Centre Assessment Grade Guidance During COVID-19 Prepared by Deputy Director (HEQ) / Authorised by Director (HEQ) Version 3 – 18 June 2020 / DCL1 Public

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Contents

Introduction (UK) ........................................................................................................ 3

Key Terms ....................................................................................................................................... 4

Changes ........................................................................................................................................... 5

Qualifications covered in this guidance ................................................................... 6

Qualifications not covered in this guidance ............................................................ 6

Students Not Due to Complete This Academic Year .............................................. 7

BTEC Higher Nationals - Top-ups and Transfers ........................................................................ 7

Approaches to BTEC Higher National Qualifications ............................................. 8

Malpractice and Maladministration ............................................................................................ 9

Overview of the BTEC Higher Nationals Approach .............................................. 10

Calculated Results Process ...................................................................................... 12

What are ‘Centre Assessment Grades’? ..................................................................................... 12

Providing Centre Assessment Grades ....................................................................................... 12

When to use Centre Assessment Grades .............................................................................. 13

Procedure for Centre Assessment Grades ............................................................................... 13

Virtual Assessment Board Guidance for BTEC Higher Nationals ....................... 15

Process .......................................................................................................................................... 15

Adapted Assessments ............................................................................................................. 15

Recording Grades ..................................................................................................................... 15

Centre Assessment Grades ..................................................................................................... 15

Recording Grades in the Assessment Board Template .......................................................... 16

Assessment Board Review Outcomes ................................................................... 18

Post-certification ....................................................................................................... 19

Equalities and Objectivity ............................................................................................................ 19

Confidentiality .............................................................................................................................. 20

Overview of steps for Centre Assessment Grades ............................................... 21

Sampling for ‘Category A’ Programmes ................................................................. 22

What should be sent to the External Examiner? ...................................................................... 22

Assessment of practical activities .............................................................................................. 22

General guidance ......................................................................................................................... 23


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Introduction (UK) This document has been developed to support centres with the Calculated Results Process, including ‘Centre Assessment Grades’ and remote sampling during the Covid-19 restrictions for qualifications that are covered by Ofqual’s Extraordinary Regulatory Framework. This approach will apply to all Higher Nationals except for those listed in the ‘Delay’ category in the table on page 9 below. Our overriding priority for all students is to implement the mitigation in Ofqual’s Extraordinary Regulatory Framework fairly and consistently, so that students are able to progress in their learning and life, standards are maintained, and everyone can continue to have confidence in the value of Higher National qualifications.

For Higher National Certificates (HNC) and Higher National Diplomas (HND) the primary mitigation will be to ‘Adapt’ assessments; however, it is accepted that in some instances it has not been possible to adapt assessments. Therefore, this guide has been produced to support you in understanding what the Calculated Results process is, and what steps you will need to take to enter Centre Assessment Grades (CAG). This guide also covers the process for External Examiner remote sampling. If you have students looking to certificate in time for confirming University places, then we recommend the Virtual Assessment Board is completed by the end of June 2020 and the Virtual Assessment Board Template sent to your External Examiner by this date, to allow the External Examiner to conduct the review and confirm that your grades are in line with Pearson requirements. Centres should also consider the timing of re-submissions.

HERE TO HELP Centres can contact us via our portal if they need more information

and support or have any questions.

https://support.pearson.com/uk/s/qualification-contactushttps:/support.pearson.com/uk/s/qualification-contactus


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Key Terms Terminology Explanation Alternative Provider Formerly known as a ‘private college’ Assessment Board Review External Examiner remote review of the Assessment

Board outcomes against the Pearson guidance below Calculated Result The final grade confirmed by Pearson following

External Examiner and quality assurance checks, based on a centre’s Centre Assessment Grade and grades from fully completed units (see below)

Centre Assessment Grade Centre Assessment Grades may be awarded at unit level where the student has partially achieved the unit and the centre is awarding a unit grade based on actual and expected performance in line with the guidance below

Derogation The ability to progress onto Level 5 without having completed 90 Level 4 credits first, where the centre is unable to deliver and/or assess this year. The outstanding Level 4 credits can then be completed during the 2020-21 academic year

Formative assessment Interim feedback intended to provide students with a sense of their progress and support them to improve and develop their work toward summative (final) assessment

Fully Complete Unit The student has fully completed the unit and has an assessed outcome recorded

Sector The grouping of individual programmes e.g. Art & Design; Engineering; Business. The grouping matches what an External Examiner is allocated to

Summative assessment The summation of the student’s achievement and evaluation of their learning. Typically, summative assessment results in the awarding of a grade that indicates the student’s level of achievement

Traditional sample External Examiner sampling of student work. For 2020, this will be conducted remotely


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Changes Page

9 Section added regarding malpractice and maladministration in relation to adapted assessments

Where applicable, changes in this document are highlighted in yellow.


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Qualifications covered in this guidance This guide covers BTEC Higher National qualifications delivered in the UK, including those on Pearson’s Self-Regulated Framework (SRF).

Qualifications not covered in this guidance Separate guidance will be made available that will cover:

• BTEC Level 1/2 Firsts • BTEC Level 1/2 Tech Awards • BTEC Level 2 and 3 Technicals • BTEC 2010 Level 3 Nationals, Level 2, Level 1 and Entry Level • BTEC 2016 Level 3 Nationals • BTEC Level 1 Entry and Introductory Suite (from 2016) • BTEC Specialist programmes from Entry to Level 3 • BTEC PSD, Workskills and Skilled for Life • BTEC Qualifications accredited by SQA • BTEC Qualifications Level 4-7 (excluding Higher Nationals) • BTEC Qualifications operating internationally • BTEC Level 3/4 Foundation Diploma Art and Design • Level 1-7 SRF programmes.


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Students Not Due to Complete This Academic Year

BTEC Higher Nationals - Top-ups and Transfers Centres may have registered students onto HNC programmes, with the aim of progressing them to the HND in their second or subsequent year. This process is known as a ‘top-up’ from HNC to HND. Other centres may have registered students onto HND programmes from the outset. The HNC is recognised as a complete qualification and as such centres are able to apply the COVID-19 assessment guidance to ensure students can complete their HNC qualification, including adaptation of assessment and where appropriate, Centre Assessment Grades. However, if students are registered onto an HNC with the intention of progressing onto an HND, they will not be eligible for the derogation option, which allows students to progress to level 5 units without the expected 90 credits at level 4 (with an understanding that incomplete units will eventually be completed when delivery can continue). Derogation is only available if a student is registered on an HND, and it will enable progression from level 4 HNC units to level 5 HND units. If centres have registered HNC students with the intention of progressing them onto an HND, there are two options available:

1. Complete HNC units using COVID-19 assessment guidance, including adapted assessments and where appropriate, Centre Assessment Grades. Following completion of the Assessment Board template and minutes and the external examiner review, centres can claim the HNC award and students will receive their HNC certificate as a complete award. Centres can then top-up students to the HND.

2. Transfer HNC registered students onto HND registrations. Students can then use the derogation to progress onto level 5 HND units, with any incomplete HNC units undertaken in the following year. Students will receive a notification of performance certificate rather than HNC certificate.


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Approaches to BTEC Higher National Qualifications Three main approaches (outlined in the table below) have been applied to BTEC Higher National qualifications. Higher National qualifications are in the ‘Adapt’ category, but only where that mitigation is not possible, the ‘Calculated Results’ mitigation can be used (except in the exceptional circumstances detailed below in the ‘Delay’ category). Centres will be required to provide the rationale for why adaption is not possible, and this will be checked by Pearson as part of our quality assurance measures. Centre Assessment Grades fall under the heading of Calculated Results. This guide covers the process for ‘Calculated Results’.

1. Adaptation For BTEC Higher Nationals the primary mitigation is to ‘Adapt’ assessment, where

teaching and assessment can continue.

The process for adaptation has already been published and can be found here. 2. Calculated Grades (most HN

qualifications) Centres will need to confirm unit grades

for all completed units via their Assessment Board, as already required

as part of the standard BTEC Higher National quality assurance process. In addition, we will be asking for Centre Assessment Grades for incomplete

units, based on the most likely grade that students who were due to

complete their units between 20 March 2020 and 31 July 2020 would have

achieved, as well as an indication of successful progression from HNC to

HND.

Where centres provide Centre Assessment Grades, they will be

required to formally record them on an Assessment Board template,

3. Delay (qualifications with competence/professional licence)

Where occupational competence is required or where qualifications function

as a licence to practise and adaptation does not support the generation of enough

reliable evidence to demonstrate competency, there may be no option but to delay until assessments can happen again as a Centre Assessment Grade would be unsuitable as it would not

demonstrate occupational competency. The calculated results approach will not

be suitable for the following Higher Nationals listed below:

• Pearson BTEC Level 4 HNC Diploma in Advanced Practice in Early Years Education 601/8222/2

https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/BTEC-Higher-Nationals/COVID-19_Teaching-and-Assessment-Guidance_BTEC-Higher-Nationals.pdf

https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/BTEC-Higher-Nationals/HN-Virtual-Assessment-Board-Template.xlsx


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alongside completed grades and provide justification for the grades in

the Assessment Board minutes. Assessment Board minutes already

form a regular part of the Higher Nationals Quality Assurance process.

For both Category A and Category B sectors Pearson appointed External

Examiners will conduct checks on each programme’s Assessment Board results and minutes, ensuring that the guidance on providing Centre Assessment Grades

has been followed. The check will also include a verification against the student grades, before confirming the calculated

results and releasing students for certification.

• Pearson BTEC Level 5 HND Diploma in Advanced Practice in Early Years Education 601/8811/X

• Pearson BTEC Level 4 Higher National Certificate in Early Childhood Education and Care 603/3899/4

• Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care 603/3900/7

• Pearson BTEC Level 4 Higher National Certificate in Healthcare Practice for England 603/2284/6

• Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma in Healthcare Practice for England 603/2285/8

• Pearson BTEC Level 4 Higher National Certificate in Healthcare Practice 603/2293/7

• Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma in Healthcare Practice 603/2294/9.

Malpractice and Maladministration

Assessments can be adapted so that students are able to progress in their learning and life despite the current disruptions to our normal way of teaching, learning and assessing. It is important that centres ensure standards are maintained when assessments are adapted. As with all of our internally assessed assessments, we expect our centres to deliver and assess them appropriately. Centres should also be aware of the heightened potential of student malpractice where assessments are adapted – through personation for online assessment or collusion between students for example. Pearson may need to investigate where there are concerns centres may not have delivered adapted assessments appropriately or not followed the centre assessed grade process guidance. Centres are reminded to report all instances of suspected malpractice to Pearson via [email protected] (for student malpractice) or via [email protected] (assessor malpractice and maladministration).

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


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Overview of the BTEC Higher Nationals Approach In order to ensure that BTEC Higher National certification takes place in a robust way, a centre’s Higher National provision will be allocated into one of the two categories below. Category A will apply to centre programmes where:

• Higher National sectors with at least one programme with a ‘Certification Pending’ or ‘Not Yet Fully Sampled (NYFS)’ outcome; or

• Higher National sectors where Level 5 HND units are being delivered for the first time this year, but were not delivered last year; or

• Centres delivering Higher Nationals as part of a Pearson approved collaborative or exceptional collaborative arrangements; or

• New Higher National sectors; or • Centres defined as Alternative Providers; or • International centres (outside of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England).

All other sectors at centres delivering BTEC Higher Nationals will be placed in Category B. All UK centres will be notified of the category their BTEC Higher National sectors fall into by the end of May. International centres have already begun engaging with remote sampling where this has been possible.

Category A Category B Centres will be contacted by their External

Examiner (EE) to arrange a traditional sample of student work and a review of Assessment Board minutes to validate

justifications for Centre Assessment Grades.

Centres in this category can still provide Centre Assessment Grades (CAGs) where there are missing unit grades and there is

evidence to support the CAG. Your External Examiner will then review and confirm all grades in the Assessment Board template before grades can be entered into Edexcel

Online (EOL).

Centres with sectors in this category will not have a traditional sample of student

work, but External Examiners (EE) will review Assessment Boards minutes*.

Centre Assessment Grades (CAGs) can still be provided where there are missing unit

grades and there is evidence to support the CAG. Your External Examiner will then review and confirm all grades in the

Assessment Board template before grades can be entered into Edexcel Online (EOL).

*A centre can request a traditional sample, and this will be arranged where possible, but it could result

in delay to receiving results.


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It is important to note that all grades, including Centre Assessment Grades, must be added to the Pearson Assessment board template for the External Examiner to review. This will ensure consistency and enable the External Examiner to confirm that the correct process has been followed.


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Calculated Results Process

What are ‘Centre Assessment Grades’? As part of the advice given by Ofqual, a Centre Assessment Grade is:

“…a centre’s judgement about the grade that each student would most likely have achieved had teaching, learning and assessment proceeded as normal. A Centre Assessment Grade could be for the remaining components or it could be requested for the qualification overall, depending upon the structure of the qualification and the proportion of components already completed. This professional judgement is to be derived from evidence (work, records of work) held within the centre and which has been reviewed by subject teachers/tutors/assessors and relevant heads of department. Awarding Organisations may also ask for other information in order to support an approach to calculating grades, such as a rank order for students.”

For Higher National qualifications where the Calculated Results approach applies, centres will need to provide the following:

Centre Assessment Unit Grade

Fully Completed

Units Rank Ordering

Internally assessed units/components

Yes No

Overall qualification No No

Providing Centre Assessment Grades

Centre Assessment Grades will be agreed by the Assessment Board for students who are due to achieve their HNC or HND qualification units in the academic year 2019/20 and submitted to Pearson for review. When determining Centre Assessment Grades regard must be given to the guidance issued by Ofqual regarding Objectivity.

Calculated results can be used as mitigation for students who were due to complete or achieve a result between 20 March 2020 and 31 July 2020.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/881109/Summer_2020_results_for_vocational_technical_and_other_qualifications_UPDATE_24APR2020_.pdf

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/886921/Guidance_on_objectivity_in_grading_and_ranking_21MAY2020.pdf


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When to use Centre Assessment Grades For a partially complete unit, a Centre Assessment Grade can be agreed at the Assessment Board, if all other options for completing the unit, including alternative assessment (Adapt), have been explored. Centres must use the Pearson Virtual Assessment Board guidance for Higher Nationals (please see page 15 for ‘Virtual Assessment Board Guidance’). Please note that this guidance only applies to a unit that has been partially completed and assessed (summative and/or formative). Where no teaching, learning and assessment for a unit has taken place, centres may choose to derogate where appropriate in order to facilitate progression, or delay until teaching can be resumed. Pearson is temporarily lifting its expectation that an HND registered student would need 90 credits at Level 4 before progressing to Level 5 units. Please see page 3 of the COVID-19 Teaching and Assessment Guidance for further details on derogation.

Procedure for Centre Assessment Grades If a unit has had assignments graded and internally verified, that grade can be applied for the whole unit, providing that at least two Learning Outcomes have been assessed within that assignment. If fewer than two Learning Outcomes have been assessed, further justification for awarding a unit grade must be made. Please see the table below. Reason for Centre Assessed Grade

1) Summative assessment based on at least two Learning Outcomes within the unit

2) A combination of formative assessment and feedback and tutor judgement

Evidence provided in Assessment Board Minutes

Name of assignment and Learning Outcomes that were completed

Names of formative assessments* that were completed and additional tutor comments on student performance

*Examples of formative assessments *Formative assessments and feedback can refer to activities within the scheme of work designed to enhance learning, such as a combination of in class tests, multiple choice questions, short response questions, scheduled homework and feedback on first drafts or sections of summative assignments. This may also include student-led demonstrations or preparations of physical/visual/audio content that students were required to undertake as a part of their learning journey.




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The External Examiner will review the Assessment Board template and minutes to ensure that the correct procedure for producing Centre Assessment Grades has been followed. The External Examiner will inform the centre when all grades can be uploaded onto Edexcel Online.


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Virtual Assessment Board Guidance for BTEC Higher Nationals Centres are expected to continue to conduct Assessment Boards, but this may now need to be done virtually online, or remotely, but it must still follow the terms of reference provided by each centre, including participation by the Chair and all other required attendees. Where Centre Assessed Grades are issued for students, additional guidance can be found on how to record and minute those decisions below.

Process The Assessment Board should follow the regular procedure as determined by the centre. A nominated Chair must authorize all final decisions and outcomes for students.

Adapted Assessments Where a centre had adapted their assessment plan to include new or revised assessments, these changes should be minuted, prior to the confirmation of grades. The revised assessment plan should be stored in centre-based programme files.

Recording Grades A grade (or outcome) must be recorded for each unit that a student has taken. Where a resubmission is required, this must be minuted with a date of resubmission provided. Where an issued grade has been capped at a pass, the reasons should be minuted (e.g. late submission, re-submission). Where derogation has been used to enable a student to progress to the level 5 units this must be recorded in the Assessment Board minutes.

Centre Assessment Grades Where a grade for a unit is being proposed as a Centre Assessment Grade, the grade should be recorded in the Assessment Board template with an asterisk* identifier. This can be found in the drop-down selection for each cell. This will help centres and External Examiners identify which grades are Centre Assessment Grades. The Assessment Board template must be used for all grades.


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For each Centre Assessment Grade provided, the justification for the grade must be recorded in the Assessment Board minutes. Please see the guidance in the section Procedure for Centre Assessment Grades above.

Recording Grades in the Assessment Board Template Grades should be recorded in each cell as P=Pass, M=Merit, D=Distinction. Re-submissions should be marked as ‘R’ with a date for re-submission agreed by the Assessment Board and minuted. If a whole unit is to be repeated, REPEAT should be selected in the cell. Where students have had an Exceptional or Extenuating Circumstances (EEC) accepted for an assignment, and this has been verified by the Assessment Board, it should be noted in the Assessment Board minutes. If the EEC has not been accepted, it should be noted in the Assessment Board minutes with the reasons and the consequence (e.g., grade capped at a pass, resubmission, etc.)

1. If any assignments in units have been adapted or changed due to COVID-19 circumstances, and are different from the original assessment plan, this should be noted in the minutes.

2. Where students have had a Centre Assessment Grade agreed by the Assessor and

Programme Leader, the agreed outcome must be selected within the cell with an asterisk (e.g., Unit 4 - ‘P*’)

3. Where derogation has been used to enable a student to progress to the level 5 units ‘DRG’ must be selected in the relevant cell.

It is expected that all Centre Assessment Grades will have been agreed upon by the Assessor and Programme Leader prior to the Assessment Board. An assessment decision form must be kept within programme files with reasons for the Centre Assessment Grade. The Assessment Board Template and Assessment Board minutes must be made available to External Examiners when requested. Certification claims cannot be made on Edexcel Online until confirmation has been received from the External Examiner.


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If you have students looking to certificate in time for confirming university places, then we recommend the Virtual Assessment Board is completed by the end of June 2020 and the Virtual Assessment Board Template sent to your External Examiner by this date, to allow the External Examiner to conduct the review and confirm that your grades are in line with Pearson requirements. Centres should also consider the timing of re-submissions.


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Assessment Board Review Outcomes

If your External Examiner (EE) reviews the Assessment Board minutes and template(s), alongside relevant documentation and deems that the centre has not met Pearson requirements, the EE will provide feedback to the centre, explaining why the requirements have not been met. They will also provide the centre with actions that need to be addressed before certification can take place. For example, the External Examiner may need to see evidence of how the grades were awarded to certain students or of how a Centre Assessment Grade has been determined. This may require evidence of student work for the completed Learning Outcomes in a particular unit and/or further Assessor evidence and support for the Centre Assessment Grades. After reviewing this, the External Examiner may ask the centre to adjust the Centre Assessment Grade. The centre should then complete the revised Assessment Board Template and submit it to the External Examiner. If the centre disagrees with the External Examiner’s recommendations to adjust grades, the External Examiner will refer it to Pearson’s Higher Education Qualifications (HEQ) Assessment team for review.


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Post-certification Once certification has been released, the HEQ Assessment team will then conduct a series of detailed checks. If there are any discrepancies, the centre will be contacted by Pearson and asked for a response to our concerns. Pearson reserves the right to invalidate and recall certificates where concerns have not been resolved. Assessment irregularities could result in a Malpractice investigation.

Equalities and Objectivity It is important that when forming any judgment on Centre Assessment Grade for a student, a centre should consider any reasonable adjustment to avoid any adverse impact of the mitigation processes for awarding. Pearson are committed to ensuring that all students, particularly those with protected characteristics, are treated fairly through these mitigating measures, and we acknowledge that centres will be best placed to accommodate this within their Centre Assessment Grade judgements and processes. As Ofqual has advised, "centres should use their professional experience to make a fair and objective judgement of the grade they believe a student would have achieved had teaching and learning continued as normal and they were able to complete their assessments. For students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), or other vulnerable students, we propose centres should make their judgement assuming students had continued to receive any usual additional learning support and had any agreed reasonable adjustments in place.”

Centres will be aware of any reasonable adjustments in place for students and Centre Assessment Grades should be made on the basis that reasonable adjustments will have been in place should assessment have taken place. Protected characteristics should also be considered as part of this. Similarly, centres should also take into account any special consideration which may have impacted upon a student’s achievement in previous work/assessments if this is used as a basis for a Centre Assessed grade. In its published outcomes, Ofqual has recognised the importance of ensuring non-bias in Centre Assessment Grades during this time and has provided additional guidance to


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Awarding Organisations and Heads of Centres to support this. If you need support or guidance please do contact our sector specialists, whose details are here.

Confidentiality Centres must not disclose Centre Assessment Grades to anyone other than Pearson before results have been issued. This not only ensures that Centre Assessment Grades are valid, but also prevents students from being given an outcome until the necessary standardisation and quality checks have been carried out by Pearson.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/awarding-qualifications-in-summer-2020

https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/contact-us/teachers.html


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Overview of steps for Centre Assessment Grades Step

Two

Enter fully completed unit grades into the Assessment

Board template

Step One

Identify students due to complete or achieve a result

between 20th March 2020 and 31st July 2020

Step Four

Arrange a virtual Assessment Board to review and approve all grades in the Assessment

Board template and then send the template and minutes to

the External Examiner

Step Five

Claim all grades approved by the External Examiner; which can be entered into Edexcel

Online by the centre and certifications claimed in the

usual way

Step Three

Review guidance and, where applicable, enter Centre Assessment Grades for

incomplete units into the Assessment Board template


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Sampling for ‘Category A’ Programmes International centres already engaged in remote sampling should continue to work with their External Examiner (International Standards Verifier).

What should be sent to the External Examiner? • The requested samples of student work • We prefer electronic copies, not originals – if originals are sent, we can take no

responsibility for the safe return of student work • Assignment briefs for the units identified • Internal verification records for the assignment briefs • Assessment records for the student work • Internal verification records for the assessment decisions.

If the centre uses a virtual learning environment and eportfolio system, such as Moodle or OneFile, the External Examiner should be provided with access to this. If the centre does not use an eportfolio system, the required documents must be submitted electronically. For each sample there should be evidence of assessed work covering the whole unit. Centres should provide a complete sample which can be used to accurately judge your approach to assessment. If the materials are incomplete, inappropriate or appear to not be authentic, the External Examiner cannot make an objective judgement. They will contact the centre for clarification if there are elements missing, or the evidence is not clearly identified.

Assessment of practical activities Many units include practical activities where assessment is recorded through observation records. We advise centres to use a form that clearly details the assessment and identifies the assessment and grading criteria achieved. External Examiners need to be able to independently judge the validity of the assessment decisions and so they need evidence in addition to observation records. This evidence may take a variety of forms such as photographs, video, and audio.


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If submitting copies of evidence electronically, centres must ensure such materials identify the following as part of the evidence:

• Centre name and number, Assessor name • Student name and student registration number • Unit title and number, title of assignment and learning outcomes attempted.

Centres must also provide information on assessment decisions and Assessor feedback.

General guidance • Centres should encourage the recording of work as it is being done, where possible.

Records of work in progress can provide good evidence. Also, collating a sample is easier if records have been kept throughout

• Witness statements and observation records should be included where relevant • A front sheet should be included, showing the student’s name, number, centre name

and number, unit and criteria awarded. The work of each student must be clearly identifiable, and it should be clear which assignment each piece of work applies to all work, including electronic files, should be clearly labelled with the student name and unit title

• Electronic evidence should be sent on a USB, or via a file sharing platform (Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive, FTP, etc.) as the files are generally too large to email as attachments. If USB sticks are used, they cannot be returned. If a file sharing platform is used, you should ensure that access is restricted to those who need it, to ensure compliance with data protection requirements

• The quality and resolution of any photographs or digital evidence must be high enough for the External Examiner to be able to make judgments on the quality of the original work. This includes video or audio files

• To make sure that the External Examiner can open electronic files, please discuss this with them before you prepare the sample. You should use the following file formats:

o PowerPoint o Word Document (or Rich Text Format, to ensure compatibility) o PDF o for video & audio files: WMV, MPEG, AVI, high quality MP3

• Centres should avoid using software that is not commonly available on home systems unless you have agreed this with the External Examiner beforehand

• When photographing work, centres should ensure the following: o adequate lighting, using natural daylight where possible


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o proper framing of the subject o in focus o white balance corrected o any text is easily readable o a high resolution (for digital)

• When sending sampling materials via email, it is good practice to password protect documents, sending the password in a separate email.

• Cover illustration: Lucy Vigrass.

Guidance on sending samples for visual arts, performance-based and production-based units can be found here.

FAQs and Guidance for Assessment and Certification of Healthcare, Social and Community Work and Early Years Higher National qualifications can be found here


http://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/BTEC-Higher-Nationals/HSCEY_Covid_Guidance_and_FAQs.pdf

Assessment guidance for centres during...recommend the Virtual Assessment Board is completed by the end of June 2020 and the Virtual Assessment Board Template sent to your External

Documents