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- About this guide
- Roles and responsibilities
- Exams and assessment arrangements for the academic year 2023-24
- Grading
- Grading arrangements for VTQs and Technical Qualifications within T Levels in the academic year 2023 to 2024
- Resilience arrangements
- Before exams and assessments
- During exams and assessments
This guide explains what schools, colleges and other exam or assessment centres can expect from awarding organisations regulated by Ofqual.
In this guide we use the term schools and colleges to refer to schools, colleges and other exam or assessment centres. The guide also explains the arrangements for qualifications in 2023-24. Where this guide refers to “you” it is referring to a school or college that offers qualifications regulated by Ofqual. We expect the main users of this guide to be those supporting students through their qualifications.
This guide covers qualifications which are typically taken in an academic year in schools or colleges including GCSEs, AS and A levels, Technical Qualifications within a T Level and vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) that are on the Department for Education’s performance tables. Some of the information is qualification specific; we make it clear where information only applies to a certain type of qualification.
On demand assessments such as Functional Skills Qualifications, English for Speakers of Other Languages, End-Point Assessments of apprenticeships and other VTQs not included on the Department for Education’s performance tables are out of scope of this guide.
Ofqual
Ofqual regulates awarding organisations that design, deliver and award qualifications and apprenticeship end-point assessments in England. Ofqual controls entry to the regulated market, and we create rules and provide guidance for awarding organisations to help make sure regulated qualifications are fit for purpose, valid and delivered securely. Ofqual has a common set of rules for all qualifications regulated by us called the General Conditions of Recognition. There are additional rules and guidance that are specific to certain qualifications, for example for GCSEs, AS, A levels, Technical Qualifications within T Levels and Technical Awards. A full list of Ofqual’s rules and guidance, and the qualifications they apply to, can be found on Ofqual’s website. Not all qualifications have the protection of regulation by Ofqual. You can find information on the organisations and the qualifications that Ofqual regulates in the Register of Regulated Qualifications. Where a qualification is not regulated by Ofqual, you should contact the awarding organisation for further information. Ofqual does not regulate schools or colleges so we do not place any requirements directly on them. But some of our rules for awarding organisations affect the way they must interact with schools and colleges and the obligations awarding organisations place on them. This can include awarding organisations requiring schools and colleges to take on roles in the delivery and conduct of assessments. This reflects the important role schools and colleges play in making sure the qualifications system works effectively and fairly. Ofqual recognises that running exams is a challenging job with responsibilities throughout the academic year. Ofqual is working closely with both The Exams Office and the National Association of Examinations Officers to support new and experienced exams officers throughout the assessment cycle.
Department for Education
The Department for Education is responsible for curriculum, funding and accountability requirements for schools and colleges. It also sets the subject content for GCSEs, AS and A levels and awards T Level certificates once the whole T Level programme has been completed.
Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education
The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education works with employers to develop, approve, review and revise apprenticeships and technical qualifications. This includes the subject content of the Technical Qualification within a T Level.
2024 Vocational and Technical Qualification (VTQ) results arrangements
Ofqual has introduced measures to ensure students taking VTQs get their results on time. This is part of Ofqual’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that students taking VTQs in subjects such as engineering, health & social care and digital media, have parity of treatment with those taking A levels or GCSEs. The arrangements strengthen and embed processes for schools, colleges and awarding organisations. Awarding organisations will work with you to identify which students need a result on or before results days in August for progression to further or higher education. This term-time checkpoint will be completed before the main exam season begins in May. The checkpoint and arrangements for issuing results to you apply to Level 3 (including Technical Qualifications within T Levels), Level 1/2 and Level 2 VTQs used for progression to higher or further education. This is to ensure students taking qualifications alongside GCSEs or A Levels also receive their results when they need them. Awarding organisations will provide details of which qualifications are included. Awarding organisations will release these results to schools and colleges in advance of results days to give sufficient time for exams officers to check and prepare them for final release. Awarding organisations will confirm their own key dates including the delivery of results directly with you this later this term. Results for these qualifications will be issued to students on or before A level/Level 3 results day and GCSE/Level 2 results day, as appropriate. Ofqual’s VTQ Information Hub will bring together key dates and deadlines from awarding organisations, to support school and college staff working in the administration or delivery of these qualifications. Ofqual will continue to work with awarding organisations to encourage clear, timely, precise and consistent communications. A VTQ Results Group, convened by Ofqual, will help to oversee this work, building on the successful work of the Taskforce established in 2023. This group will bring together key sector representatives, such as teaching associations, and awarding organisations to ensure timely results for students. Ofqual recognises that individual students’ plans can change. The checkpoint process is designed to ensure that students who need a result on results days get one. This process should not curtail the flexibility that is a valued feature of many VTQs. Students who are not dependent on a result in August to progress will continue to be able to complete their qualification as they are ready, and to the timescales that work for them and their school or college. If an individual student no longer expects a result once the checkpoint process is complete, you should notify the relevant awarding organisation to ensure the student’s progress is captured and, if appropriate, their result is deferred. Details of the measures are confirmed in a letter to schools and colleges and further information can also be found in the section on results days below. Please work with awarding organisations to understand their key deadlines and your contribution to the successful delivery of results.
How GCSEs, AS and A levels will be assessed in 2024
Support material The Department for Education has confirmed it is not necessary for students to memorise formulae for GCSE mathematics and equations for GCSE physics and combined science in 2024. Students will be provided with support materials in the form of formulae and revised equations sheets for GCSE mathematics, physics and combined science exams in 2024 only. For GCSE mathematics this will also apply to exams taken in November 2024. The Department for Education has confirmed that 2024 will be the final year for these changes to its subject content requirements. There will be a return to normal exam arrangements for these subjects in 2025. This means that formulae and revised equations sheets will not be available after 2024. Students preparing for GCSE mathematics, physics and combined science exams in 2025 and beyond will be expected to know and recall all the usual formulae and equations set out in DfE’s subject content. Students entering GCSEs, AS or A levels in 2024 will take exams in the summer and complete any non-exam assessments following the standard arrangements as set out in exam boards specifications and other key documents throughout the year.
Grading for GCSEs, AS or A levels in 2024
The 2-year transition to pre-pandemic grading is now complete. Normal grading arrangements will continue for GCSEs, AS and A levels in 2024. Ofqual expects national results in 2024 to be broadly similar to those seen in 2023. Overall outcomes may vary a little if, for example, the cohort of students taking a qualification is stronger or weaker than in previous years. As such, overall national results may change slightly year on year, just as they did before the pandemic. It is also important to remember that the grade boundaries for a qualification vary from year to year. It is important that they do so in order that they reflect the level of challenge of the papers taken that year. Although senior examiners aim to produce papers of comparable challenge, in practice this is very difficult to do. We know that some variations in the level of demand of an assessment, and any changes to grade boundaries as a result, are inevitable to ensure that fair and appropriate grading standards are set. As in any year, senior examiners will recommend. This ensures that it is not easier or harder to get a grade between one year and the next. When completing formative assessments, or producing indicative grades for students, we advise focussing on the underlying content, knowledge and skills required for each qualification, rather than only the grade boundaries set for papers from previous years. As in any year there is no pre-determined ‘quota’ of grades.
Grading arrangements for VTQs such as in health and social care, engineering or sport studies, will continue as normal.
Awarding organisations will use suitable grading approaches for the VTQs they offer.
Technical Awards, which are taken alongside GCSEs and include subjects such as Pearson’s BTEC Level 1/2 Technical Award in performing arts or OCR’s Level 1/2 Cambridge National in health and social care, have been reformed and the first students to complete these new qualifications will do so in 2024. We have asked awarding organisations to take into account the fact that teachers and students may be less familiar with new assessments when setting grade boundaries for new Technical Awards, as has happened with other new qualifications previously.
Similarly, as in 2023, awarding organisations will be generous when awarding the Technical Qualifications within T Levels in the first years of awards. Again, this is to reflect that these are new qualifications that students and teachers are less familiar with, so awarding organisations will take this into account when setting grade boundaries in the first years of awards.
The government does not expect there to be a situation where exams do not go ahead again, but it is sensible to have contingency plans in place, even for extremely unlikely scenarios.
Ofqual has issued guidance on collecting evidence of student performance to ensure resilience in the qualifications system for GCSE, AS and A levels, Project Qualifications and Advanced Extension Awards that schools and colleges are expected to follow. This sets out how to gather evidence of student performance that would be used to determine grades in the unlikely event that exams and assessments could not go ahead as planned. Schools and colleges are encouraged to gather evidence in line with existing assessment arrangements. Schools and colleges should avoid over-assessment, with one set of mocks likely to be sufficient for evidence purposes.
VTQs are generally modular and have a high proportion of internal assessment so it is more likely that there would already be assessment evidence available which could be used to determine grades. However, there are some qualifications are that are used alongside or instead of GCSEs, AS and A levels for progression to further or higher study, where there may not be any or sufficient evidence available. In these cases, awarding organisations will consider whether it is appropriate for a centre to gather evidence of student performance to support resilience for a qualification and if it does, provide guidance to the centre. This guidance may be based on the guidance for GCSEs, AS and A levels, Project Qualifications and Advanced Extension Awards. If you are unsure whether these arrangements apply to a qualification you offer, you should contact the relevant awarding organisations.
These arrangements are now in place on a long-term basis. It is important to make sure that appropriate evidence is available so that qualifications could be awarded even in the most unlikely of circumstances.
Contingency arrangements
Ofqual has worked with CCEA and Qualifications Wales to produce the joint exam system contingency plan setting out what schools and colleges should do if exams or other assessments are seriously disrupted and includes guidance on developing contingency plans. Examples of disruption could include severe weather, widespread illness, travel disruption, cyber-attacks or system failures. Schools and colleges should follow this guidance, and in particular make sure you are aware of your responsibilities in relation to developing contingency plans or any actions needed should you experience disruption.
Access arrangements, reasonable adjustments and special consideration
Access arrangements is an umbrella term often used by awarding organisations and schools and colleges to cover both reasonable adjustments, for students with disabilities, and some forms of special consideration (arrangements for students suffering illness, injury or disruption at the time of the assessment).
Reasonable adjustments
Reasonable adjustments, often called access arrangements, are changes made to exams or assessments, or to the way they are conducted where a disabled person would be at a substantial disadvantage in undertaking an assessment. They are needed because some disabilities can make it harder for students to show what they know, understand, and can do in an assessment than it would have been had the student not been disabled. The exam or assessment must still test the same knowledge, skills and understanding for that qualification. If possible, schools and colleges should apply for any reasonable adjustments needed well in advance of the planned assessment date. This will make sure that there is plenty of time to plan and implement any adjustments before the assessment. Awarding organisations will be able to provide you with information about when to apply for adjustments for the qualifications they make available. If you become aware that a student’s need has changed or they need a reasonable adjustment that has not been applied for, you should contact your awarding organisation as soon as possible. You should do this even if any deadline set by your awarding organisation has passed. What awarding organisations must do The Equality Act 2010 requires awarding organisations to make reasonable adjustments to exams and assessments for disabled students. Ofqual requires awarding organisations to publish their arrangements for making reasonable adjustments, including how a student qualifies for a reasonable adjustment and what reasonable adjustments might be made. Ofqual has the power under the Equality Act to specify adjustments which an awarding organisation should not make in relation to particular qualifications. This is set out in Ofqual’s section 96 specifications. What ‘disabled’ or ‘disability’ means The Equality Act 2010 defines disability as: “a physical or mental impairment … [that] has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on [their] ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.” A short-term illness or temporary injury is not normally considered a disability; a student who is temporarily ill or injured is not normally entitled to reasonable adjustments. Students suffering from short term injuries or illness, at the time of their exam or assessment, may be entitled to special consideration. Information relating to special consideration can be found later in this guide. What reasonable adjustments are available Awarding organisations can make a wide range of adjustments to their exams or assessments. Some of the most common adjustments are: modified papers (for example, large print or braille exam papers) access to assistive software (for example, voice recognition systems or computer readers) access to a scribe or reader changes to how the assessment is done (for example, word-processing rather than hand-writing answers) extra time to complete assessments This is not an exhaustive list – other adjustments may be available, depending on the student’s needs and not all of these adjustments will be reasonable in all cases. Where you think a student needs a different adjustment, you should contact the awarding organisation for advice about the different adjustments that are available and to discuss the student’s needs. Should a student’s needs change, meaning agreed adjustments may no longer be appropriate, you should contact the awarding organisation as soon as possible. Each awarding organisation will have its own reasonable adjustments policy and practices and these will be on its website. For GCSEs, AS, A levels and some VTQs, JCQ sets out guidance on access arrangements and reasonable adjustments. Schools and colleges need to apply to JCQ for some types of arrangement, for example, extra time or braille papers, while others, such as supervised rest breaks or non-electronic ear defenders, do not need an application. The JCQ guidance explains what you need to do for the different types of arrangements and the evidence requirements. Schools and colleges will need to contact individual awarding organisations for advice on adjustments for VTQs including Technical Qualifications in T Levels. What adjustments a student may get It is important to understand that the adjustments for an individual student will depend on how – and by how much – their disability affects them when taking a particular assessment. By their nature reasonable adjustments are specific to an individual student and decisions relating to them are made on a case-by-case basis. That means: different students with the same disability will not always get the same adjustments the same student might get different adjustments for different assessments if a student’s disability doesn’t affect their ability to demonstrate what they know, understand and can do in an assessment, then they will not get any adjustments An awarding organisation must decide, based on each student’s circumstances, which (if any) adjustments are reasonable. Factors they should consider when making that decision include: whether Ofqual’s section 96 specifications about reasonable adjustments in assessments mean they cannot offer a particular adjustment how (and by how much) a student’s disability affects their ability to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and understanding in the assessment how well an adjustment helps a student deal with the difficulties their disability causes when taking their assessment – an adjustment that works well is more likely to be reasonable than one that doesn’t really help how much the adjustment would cost – a more expensive adjustment may be less likely to be reasonable than a cheaper one how difficult it is to make the adjustment – a complicated adjustment may be less likely to be reasonable than a straightforward one whether (and by how much) the adjustment could compromise the validity of the assessment, such as changing what is being assessed. An adjustment that gives a disabled person an unfair advantage or disadvantages other students would probably not be reasonable The role of a school or college in relation to reasonable adjustments Schools and colleges apply for reasonable adjustments on behalf of their students. To evidence that a student is eligible for a reasonable adjustment, you will need to demonstrate that: the student is disabled their disability would significantly disadvantage them in the assessment You must also set out the adjustments you believe the student needs. If you are unsure what adjustments might be appropriate for a particular disabled student, you should discuss their needs with the student and the awarding organisation as early as possible. The awarding organisation will be able to provide advice about the different adjustments that are available, and the evidence that will be needed to support the application. Some adjustments take time to arrange, and early notice helps awarding organisations provide the adjustment in time. Schools and colleges are responsible for making sure that any adjustments agreed with the awarding organisation are put in place and are used properly when students take their assessments. Schools and colleges have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled students under the Equality Act. For more information, please see Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), Technical guidance for schools in England. How to apply For GCSE, AS, A levels and some VTQs, JCQ provides information on applying for reasonable adjustments. For other VTQs, contact your awarding organisation for details of how to apply for reasonable adjustments. Appealing against an awarding organisation’s decision Ofqual’s rules mean awarding organisations must have a process in place for schools and colleges to appeal against an awarding organisation’s decision on the adjustment to provide a student. An awarding organisation should explain why it has decided not to give a student an adjustment or to give them a different adjustment from that requested. If a school or college does not agree with the awarding organisation’s decision, it should follow the awarding organisation’s appeal process. Ofqual will usually only consider complaints about an awarding organisation once the appeal has been concluded. Ofqual does not have powers to investigate complaints or disputes about whether awarding organisations have breached equality law. Ofqual cannot, for example, determine whether or not an awarding organisation has discriminated against a disabled student. However, an awarding organisation that was found to have breached equality law may also have breached Ofqual’s conditions of recognition, enabling us to take regulatory action. If you believe a student has been discriminated against by an awarding organisation, the student or their parent can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service for advice on their rights within the Equality Act. Senior designated contacts in schools and colleges Awarding organisations need to be able to contact schools and colleges if there are issues that might affect the awarding of a student’s qualification. Most of these issues are addressed during term time using regular contacts, however, some of these issues may occur outside term time. You will need to identify one or two senior contacts within your school or college who are responsible for exam and assessment delivery. These designated contacts will be those who you can escalate qualification-related issues to for resolution, can be contacted out of hours by awarding organisations and have the authority to access information as required. This person doesn’t necessarily need to be the principal or head teacher and could be the same person or people for all awarding organisations. Awarding organisations will contact you with their exact requirements and maintain a record of these designated contacts. These contacts would only be used in the small number of cases where information is needed to award a qualification and the normal, established contact arrangements with exams officers for example, are unavailable. These contacts must be available throughout the assessment series, before, during and after results are issued. Entries and tiering Ofqual does not set rules on how awarding organisations handle entries from schools or colleges. Awarding organisations have their own arrangements and exam boards set common deadlines through JCQ. Awarding organisations may ask schools and colleges for early indications of their expected entries or registrations. Awarding organisations will work with you to identify which students studying a VTQ at Level 3, 2 or 1/2 taken alongside A levels or GCSEs, will need a result on or before results days in August for progression to higher or further education. This term-time checkpoint will be completed before the main exam season begins in May. We encourage schools and colleges to give awarding organisations this information as soon as possible to help the system run efficiently and effectively. Key dates for VTQs will be available on the updated VTQ Information Hub in the new year. Some GCSE subjects have different tiers of entry (foundation or higher). The subjects with tiers of entry are: maths combined science physics chemistry biology statistics modern foreign languages Where GCSEs are tiered, it is important that students are entered appropriately. Available grades are: Foundation tier: 5 to 1 (5–5 to 1–1 in combined science) Higher tier: 9 to 4 (9–9 to 4–4 on combined science) with a narrow ‘safety net’ grade 3 (4–3 in combined science) for those students who just miss grade 4 (or 4–4); higher tier students who do not achieve enough marks for that safety net grade will receive an unclassified result (U) A student who is expected to achieve a grade 4 or grade 5 should be entered for foundation tier. A grade 4 or 5 achieved at foundation tier are the same as a grade 4 or 5 achieved at higher tier. Exam boards are required to make sure that it is no easier or more difficult to achieve a grade 4 or 5 on higher or foundation tier. There is nothing on certificates showing the tier of entry. You need to make sure that all students are entered for the correct exams and, if the exam is tiered, at the correct tier. If you have any concerns or corrections contact the exam board as soon as possible.
Exam timetable
GCSE, AS and A level exams will be held between 9 May and 25 June 2024. Exam board timetables for the 2024 summer exam series of GCSEs, AS and A levels are available on the JCQ website. Details of the timetables for internal and external assessments for VTQs can be found on the relevant awarding organisation’s website. Examinations and assessments take place throughout the academic year.
Reporting an error in an exam paper or assessment
Errors in exam papers and assessments are rare, but they can occasionally happen. You should encourage your students to let you know immediately if they believe there may have been an error in their paper. If you believe there is an error in an exam paper or assessment, including in any modified papers, you should contact the relevant awarding organisation immediately. Awarding organisations will determine whether an error has been made and, if it has, the potential impact of the error on students. Awarding organisations consider, for example, whether the error will have stopped students being able to answer the question or complete the task, or whether students’ performance in other questions might have been affected by the error. They then decide the fairest way to proceed. This might include analysing how students answered the question or awarding all students full marks for the question. Ofqual takes question paper errors seriously. We consider whether an awarding organisation’s planned action is appropriate and fair, we may require it to take action to address the impact of the error on students and we consider regulatory action where appropriate.
Malpractice and maladministration
Malpractice affects qualification standards and confidence in qualifications. It undermines the hard work of students, teachers, and schools and colleges. Ofqual takes malpractice very seriously. Even if there is no deliberate wrongdoing, poor practice or maladministration (for example, giving students the wrong exam papers) can result in students being seriously disadvantaged. Ofqual’s rules for awarding organisations reflect how serious malpractice and maladministration can be. We require awarding organisations to do all they can to prevent malpractice and maladministration when developing, delivering, and awarding regulated qualifications. However, it can happen and, where there are plausible allegations, awarding organisations must find out whether malpractice or maladministration has happened. When awarding organisations become aware of possible malpractice or maladministration, they should do all they can to prevent (or where that is not possible minimise): any unfair impact on students any adverse impact on: their ability to develop, deliver and award the qualification the standard of the qualification public confidence in qualifications Ofqual also requires awarding organisations to: have (and comply with) written procedures for investigating malpractice and maladministration make sure investigators have no personal interest in the outcome of their investigations do all they can to keep school or college arrangements for preventing and investigating malpractice and maladministration under review provide (on request) guidance to schools and colleges about how best to prevent, investigate and deal with malpractice and maladministration if malpractice or maladministration is found, do all they can to stop it happening again, and take proportionate action against those responsible inform schools, colleges and other awarding organisations that may be affected by any malpractice or maladministration they have found. For further information on malpractice and maladministration including what might constitute such, relating to GCSEs, AS and A levels, please refer to JCQ’s Suspected Malpractice Policies and Procedures. Awarding organisations offering VTQs will have their own malpractice and maladministration policysetting out clearly their expectations of schools and colleges, including what data they will be collecting, when and why, and any consequences for failing to meet their deadlines. If you have concerns about exam and assessment activities in your school or college, or an awarding organisation, you can raise those concerns with Ofqual. Further information can be found below in the Whistleblowing section of this guide.
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Cognia Accreditation signifies that a school meets or exceeds rigorous standards of educational quality and effectiveness, which can enhance the credibility of the institution and the academic preparation of its students.
Obtaining voluntary institutional accreditation can offer benefits: Enhanced reputation and credibility: Voluntary accreditation from a reputable organisation shows a commitment to meeting high-quality standards beyond the minimum requirements set by the national accreditation body.
ANAB accreditation is a symbol of excellence, recognized internationally. More than 5.2 million people worldwide are certified from an ANAB-accredited organization.
