how to treat GCSE and A level private candidates
how to treat GCSE and A level private candidates
We have paraphrased guidance from the Exam Boards about how to treat private candidates. The guidance gives an overview of the elements of the assessment process for private candidates taking GCSEs, AS or A-levels in summer 2021.
The guidance has been written with private candidates in mind, but may also apply to some other students, particularly those who have changed school or college recently. More detailed guidance on the assessment process for all summer 2021 candidates, including advice on grading decisions, will be provided at the end of March.
The DoE has also confirmed that schools and colleges will get financial support to support A-level and GCSE entries from private candidates this summer. How will private candidates be assessed? candidates will be assessed in a way to other students this year.
Schools and colleges will have considerable flexibility to determine the appropriate range of evidence for their students.
Centres that assess private candidates will need to use this flexibility to select evidence which reflects the student’s particular circumstances, including the content they’ve covered in their studies. Centres who agree to accept private candidates will need to work with them (eg a short interview or a questionnaire) to understand how they’ve been studying, what evidence they may have already generated, and how much of the specification content they’ve covered in their studies.
To help find out what types of assessment might be most appropriate for the student, whether pre-existing evidence is available and whether any reasonable adjustments or access arrangements are required.
Centres need to consider their obligations under the Equality Act 2010 when providing reasonable adjustments for private candidates. The interim guidance gives more information on supervising assessments, quality assurance and appeals, types of evidence, and sources of pre-existing evidence, as well as examples to show how the different sources of evidence might be combined.
