College Co-ordinator Conference 26 August 2014 Results Services

2. College Co-ordinator Conference 26 August 2014 Results Services Neil MacGowan- Head of Operations

3. Results Services • Now operational. • Two parts - Exceptional Circumstances Consideration Service - Post-result Services (Clerical Check / Marking Review). • On-line service via the SQA Connect Portal.

4. Communication • Announced January 2012 • Generic Information leaflet. • Letter and leaflet sent to every candidate. • ‘Beyond the Exam’ DVD. • Your Exam Guide.

5. Exceptional Circumstances Consideration Service • Service opened on 22 April 2014. Colleges are using the service and the new software system successfully. • Estimates are required to use the service. • 2015 Service will open on 14 April 2015.

6. Request must be approved by the Principal. • Use for exceptional Personal or Examination circumstances. • Evidence to support the request must be retained by the college as post examination diet colleges who used the service may be audited. Hold evidence until end November 2014.

7. Exceptional Circumstances – General Principles • Subject Specialist review of all evidence. • No longer a post-certification Appeals Service. • Generic advice for centres. • Predictive value of all the evidence against the requirements of the Course Assessment. • Candidates awarded appropriate grade – evidence not rejected based on a ‘technical flaw’. • 3,710 requests resulted in 2014.

8. Types of evidence • Class Tests • Coursework • Mock Test • Unit Assessments

9. Review Process For each candidate, the Examiner will review: • All Alternative Evidence • Any completed or partially completed Question Paper • Any non-Question Paper components • Statistical information (Estimates vs Results) Once completed, the Examiner will then award the appropriate grade

10. Summary • The reason for the request is exceptional. • The reason for the request falls into one of the approved categories. • The candidate’s performance has been potentially affected by the circumstances.

11. Appropriate documentation is held to support the reason. • The Principal has approved the request. • The request is made within 10 working days of the examination. • In 2015 the System will close 19 June 2015.

12. Exceptional Circumstances – Key Dates 2015

13. Example – Higher French

14. Post-result Services • A significant change from previous arrangements! • Open to all candidates • No consideration of alternative evidence. • Grades can go up and down. • Charges will be applied to all unsuccessful requests. • Two services available - Clerical Check - Marking Review • Only applicable to certificated Grades , not Bands.

15. Clerical Check • SQA will check that • All parts of the script have been marked • The marks given for each answer on the script have been totalled correctly. • The correct total / result was entered onto the computer system and evaluated to produce the correct grade. • E-marked subjects not eligible for Clerical Check. • A charge will be made for every unsuccessful request.

16. Marking Review • A review of the candidate’s examination script, includes • a Clerical Check • A review by a senior member of the subject examining team to confirm that the marks the candidate was given for each externally assessed component was in line with the national standard. • Only requests from Principals via SQA Connect will be accepted. Requests cannot be accepted from candidates. • A charge will be made for every unsuccessful request where no change is made to a candidate’s grade.

17. Using Post-result Services • Colleges must exercise professional judgement • Sense check estimates in light of actual results. • Failure to achieve higher grade by a few marks? • Building confidence in consistency of marking. • Enhanced quality assurance procedures pre-certification.

18. The college should have clear and compelling evidence that there is a reasonable possibility that an error may have occurred with the marking or totalling of marks in a candidate’s script. Where the candidate’s final grade is markedly at odds with the totality of assessment evidence gathered during the year and out of line with the performance of other candidates with similar profiles.

19. Timelines 2014

20. Still unhappy with the academic decision of SQA? • There is no appeal available and the decision made is final.

21. Summary: Before submitting a Clerical Check or Marking Review request, colleges must ensure that: • The candidate has given permission for a request to be made on their behalf. • The candidate is aware that their grade could go up or down.

22. The request is being submitted within the published time frame (late requests will not normally be considered). • They know a charge will be applicable to all unsuccessful requests. • The Principal has approved the request.

23. Charges 2014 Charge per each request: • Clerical Check - £10.00 • Marking Review - £29.75 • Priority Marking Review- £39.75

24. Support • Helplines available to offer guidance and support • Webinars • User Guides published including user guide to online system • Local CfE Support Manager

25. Questions