Macclesfield Tutorial College (MTC) must be able to establish the identity of all candidates sitting an examination. (JCQ Instructions for Conducting Examinations 2019/2020). To this end the Head of Centre has established appropriate arrangements to check identity.

 

This means upon application to sit examinations with MTC:

 

• All candidates must provide two endorsed passport compliant photographs;
• All candidates must provide a letter of reference from a non-family member confirming their identity;
• It is impressed upon all candidates that they must bring identification to their examinations.

 

In addition to this, on the day of each and every examination the candidate must bring with them photographic identification such as a driving licence or passport. In the event that a candidate does not bring identification on the day of the examination and therefore cannot be satisfactorily identified by MTC the following will apply:

 

• The candidate will still be allowed to sit the examination;
• The examination script will be retained in a secure place by MTC for 24 hours;
• The candidate will need to attend MTC within the said 24 hours with documentation to satisfactorily prove identification;
• In the event that the candidate does not return within the said 24 hours then the examination script will be forwarded to the examiner with the appropriate report sent to the relevant board.

In compliance with the Equality Act 2010, our centre will provide full support for disabled students, enabling access to learning in addition to the undertaking of examinations and assessments.

 

Disability Discrimination:

 

We will not knowingly discriminate against a person on the grounds of disability:

1.1 By refusing or deliberately omitting to accept an application for admission or employment

1.2 In the arrangements for determining admission and entering pupils for examinations

1.3 By failing to take steps to ensure that disabled persons are not placed at a substantial disadvantage in comparison with non-disabled persons.

 

Wheelchair Users:

 

Macclesfield Tutorial College can accommodate wheelchair users at alternative venues. In certain circumstances examinations can be carried out, subject to board approval, at either the candidate’s home or at the nearby Macclesfield Heritage Centre, which has wheelchair accessibility.

MTC aims to ensure that all candidates have equal access to examinations and are neither advantaged nor disadvantaged over their peers by any learning, medical or psychological difficulty they may experience. MTC will do this by applying the rules for Access Arrangements as set out in the most recent Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ guidelines 1/9/2015).

 

Although MTC will use every opportunity to identify candidates’ needs from their first contact with MTC, it remains the responsibility of the candidate to notify the centre of any particular needs when applying for examinations. Professional reports (such as those provided by educational psychologists) and other supporting evidence will be required. These need to demonstrate an identified need (e.g. dyslexia) and a recommendation for an adjustment to meet the candidate’s needs and the type of access arrangements that are appropriate. This could be extra time, coloured paper, a reader or a scribe for example.

 

In all cases candidates must sign the Data Protection Consent Form provided by MTC prior to any applications being made.

 

Access Arrangements

 

Access arrangements allow candidates with special educational needs, learning difficulties, disabilities or temporary injuries to access an assessment. They allow candidates to demonstrate their skills, knowledge and understanding without changing the demands of the assessment. Access arrangements are intended to meet the candidate’s particular needs without affecting the integrity of the assessment.

 

Access arrangements reflect the support that is usually given to the candidate in the classroom, internal exams and mock examinations. This is commonly referred to as ‘normal way of working.’

 

The decision to apply for access arrangements is based on evidence of a history of need and history of provision.

 

Where requested to do so and supported by appropriate evidence MTC will make the application on behalf of the candidate through Access Arrangements Online Service.

 

Reasonable Adjustments

 

The Act requires MTC to make reasonable adjustments where a disabled person would be at a substantial disadvantage in undertaking an assessment.

In this way we will comply with the duty of the Equality Act 2010 (the Act) to make reasonable adjustments i.e. a reasonable adjustment is any action that reduces the effect of a disability. “Disability” and “disabled” have a particular meaning within the Act and not all conditions or illnesses are disabilities.

 

A reasonable adjustment for a particular person may be unique to that individual and may not be included in the list of available Access Arrangements.

 

How reasonable the adjustment is will depend on a number of factors including the needs of the disabled candidate/learner. An adjustment may not be considered reasonable if it involves unreasonable costs, timeframes or affects the security or integrity of the assessment.

 

There is no duty on MTC to make any adjustment to the assessment objectives being tested in an assessment.

Special consideration is a post-examination adjustment to a candidate’s mark or grade to reflect temporary illness, temporary injury or other indisposition at the time of the assessment, which has had, or is reasonably likely to have had, a material effect on a candidate’s ability to take an assessment or demonstrate his or her level of attainment in an assessment.

 

Special consideration can only seek to go some way to assist a candidate affected by a potentially wide range of difficulties, emotional or physical, which may influence performance in examinations. It cannot remove the difficulty faced by the candidate.

 

There will be situations where candidates should not be entered for an examination. Only minor adjustments can be made to the mark awarded because to do more than this would jeopardize the standard of the examination.

 

Where requested to do and supported by appropriate evidence MTC will make the application on behalf of the candidate for Special Consideration through the Access Arrangements Online Service.

Enquiries about Results

 

Post-Results Applying for: a review of marking, a priority review of marking, clerical check, or a re-moderation

 

Requests for one or more of a priority post-results review of marking, clerical check, or a post-results review of moderation should in the first instance be made to the EO. A consent form must be completed and all fees paid in advance. Upon receipt the EO will then complete the appropriate documentation, usually on-line and forward the appropriate application to the appropriate awarding body. A copy of the application will also be placed in the candidate file for that series of examinations.

 

Each examination board has to comply with the detail in the following extract from the Code of Practice for GCSE, GCE, Principal Learning and Project qualifications:

 

• Each awarding organisation must publish its arrangements for the submission of enquiries about results and for appeals against the awarding organisation’s decisions. These arrangements must indicate that all summer enquiries must be received by 20 September and advise of a comparable schedule for any additional series that has been agreed with the regulators.
• Each awarding organisation must publish agreed arrangements for dealing with enquiries about results and for appeals against their decisions.
• The services available for enquiries about results must include a clerical check and post-results reviews of marking and moderation of internally assessed components. For level 3 qualifications where a candidate’s place in higher education is dependent upon the outcome, a post- results review of marking service must be available on a priority basis for individual candidates.
• The enquiry about results procedure, which is carried out on internally assessed work, should be undertaken on the sample used at initial moderation.
• Each awarding organisation must publish common administrative arrangements and deadlines. The awarding organisation must provide notification of the outcome of any enquiry concerning a subject grade within the following deadlines:

 

1. A priority post-results review of marking, within 18 calendar days of receipt
2. A clerical check, within 20 calendar days of receipt
3. A post-results review of marking, within 30 calendar days of receipt
4. A post-results review of moderation, within 40 calendar days of receipt.

 

All reports relating to paid enquiries must also normally be provided within 40 calendar days.

 

• Where an enquiry has been made, the original script cannot be returned until the enquiry is completed.

 

Appeals

 

Appeals against internally assessed marks (GCSE controlled assessment and GCE Coursework Units)

 

The appeals manager is the Head of Centre (HoC).

 

The HoC must ensure students and teachers receive the EAR Policy with the Academic Profile.

Any candidate or candidate guardian should make any appeal in writing addressed to:

 

The Appeals Manager
Macclesfield Tutorial College
20 Cumberland Street
Macclesfield
Cheshire
SK10 1DD

 

Under Section 2, paragraph 19 (ix) of the Joint Council Code of Practice, the Awarding Bodies require centres offering their examinations to:

• have a published appeals procedure relating to internal assessment decisions that contribute to summative assessment
• make this document available and accessible to candidates

 

MTC policy is designed to promote quality, consistency, accuracy and fairness in assessment and awarding.

1. The candidate will have produced work for internal assessment that has been authenticated as original work according to the Joint Council document issued in September to all examination candidates.
2. All candidates are given advice at the beginning of their course about the production of internally assessed work that contributes to summative assessment and deadlines to be met. Information about the appeals procedure will be given in the same advice.
3. All candidates are given adequate and appropriate time to produce the required work.
4. Internal assessments are conducted by and marked by tutors who have the appropriate knowledge, understanding and skills.
5. The consistency of the internal assessment is secured via a mark scheme or marking criteria and internal standardisation activities as necessary.
6. Each Awarding Body specifies detailed criteria for the internal assessment of the work and staff responsible for internal standardisation will attend any training sessions given by the Awarding Bodies.
7. The Awarding Body must moderate the assessed coursework and the final mark awarded is that of the Awarding Body. This mark is outside the control of the College and is not covered by this procedure.

 

MTC is committed to ensuring that whenever its tutors mark candidates’ controlled assessment/coursework this is done fairly, consistently and in accordance with the awarding body’s specification and subject-specific associated documents.

 

If a candidate believes that this may not have happened in relation to his /her work, he/she may make use of this appeals procedure.

 

N.B: an appeal may only be made against the assessment process and not against the mark submitted to the awarding body.

1. Appeals should be made as early as possible, and no later than two weeks before the last timetabled examination in the series (e.g. the last GCSE written paper in the June GCSE examination series).
2. In the first instance the candidate should raise any concerns about their assessment decision with the tutor.
3. If point 2 fails to resolve the matter an appeal must be made in writing by the candidate/candidate’s guardian in writing to the H of C.
4. The H of C will then conduct an investigation. The H of C will not have had any involvement in the internal assessment process for that matter. The investigation will take no longer than 10 working days.
5. The purpose of the appeal will be to decide whether the process used for internal assessment conformed to the awarding body’s specification and subject specific associated documents.
6. The appellant will be informed in writing of the outcome of the appeal, including any relevant correspondence with the awarding body, and any changes made to the internal assessment procedures.
7. If the candidate is satisfied with the findings no further action will be taken. However if the candidate remains unsatisfied with the findings then a final appeal can be made. The appeal must be sent to the H of C (within a week of receiving the written findings). The grounds for the appeal must be clearly stated. Once received by the H of C an appeals panel will be convened within ten working days.
8. The final appeal will be considered by the Appeals Panel. The panel will consist of the H of C, the assistant H of C and the EO. The candidate, who will be asked to attend, can be supported by a parent/carer or friend.
9. The panel will examine the evidence for the procedures used in the assessment, decide upon their appropriateness and that the procedures have been properly followed as required by the Awarding Body concerned. Written confirmation of the panel findings will be provided within three working days.
10. The outcome of the appeal will be logged as a complaint. A written request will be kept and made available to the awarding body upon request. Should the appeal bring any irregularity in procedure to light, the awarding body will be informed.

 

After candidates’ work has been internally assessed, it is moderated by the awarding body to ensure consistency in marking between centres. The moderation process may lead to mark changes. This process is outside the control of MTC and is not covered by this procedure.

 

Suspected Malpractice, rejecting a candidate’s controlled assessment on the grounds of malpractice, and a procedure for appeals

 

MTC must conform with the rules outlined in JCQ document Suspected Malpractice in Examinations and Assessments: Policies and Procedures – and as such the following applies;

 

1. The HoC should consider that both tutors and candidates can be responsible for malpractice. Where a conflict of interest may be seen to arise, investigations into suspected malpractice will be referred to the HoC.
2. If malpractice by candidate or other is suspected then this must be reported in writing, signed by the complainant, and given to the HoC.
3. A copy of the complaint should be given to the candidate and tutor concerned.
4. HoC next task will be issue this document to those persons: candidate and tutor directly involved.
5. The HoC will then investigate the allegation with direct reference to the JCQ document: “General and Vocational Qualifications Suspected Malpractice in Examinations and Assessments Policies and Procedures”.
6. In the absence of the HoC the investigation will be conducted by the acting-head of centre/EO.
7. In the case of reports of suspected malpractice in controlled assessments received from examiners or moderators, the awarding body, where necessary, will ask the HoC to conduct a full investigation into the alleged malpractice and report his/ her findings to the awarding body.

 

 

1. The HoC will at all times adhere to the guidance provided concerned that awarding bodies reserve the right to submit candidates’ work to third party IT service providers in order to detect potential and suspected malpractice. Any such submissions will be done in a way which protects the identity of the candidate.

 

Procedure for lodging enquiries about results in cases where the centre supports an enquiry lodged by a candidate or carer and a formal, codified procedure for handling disputes when a candidate or carer disagrees with a decision by the centre not to support an enquiry. (Code of Practice 2005/06, p45)

 

1. Where a candidate’s controlled assessment has been rejected by the awarding authority on the grounds of malpractice by the student or teacher/s involved and an enquiry is requested by the student or carer, it is required of the head of centre to ascertain evidence by taking written evidence from those concerned to look at the assessment material and compose a report.
2. The report is to be presented, in the first instance in writing to the parties concerned.
3. At the request of either the teacher, candidate or carer a meeting with the head of centre and appeals manager will be arranged and within 3 days of notification of an appeal, there will be an opportunity for the teacher(s) concerned in making the assessment, which is the subject of the appeal, to see a copy of the appeal and to respond to this in writing, with a copy sent to the candidate.
4. If the college can support an appeal then appropriate representation and the report will be submitted to the awarding body.
5. The centre will maintain a written record of all appeals.
6. If the college cannot support an appeal then under these circumstances, the following procedure applies:

Should the teacher, with the support of the Head of centre, agree that there are insufficient grounds for an appeal against a result, parents/students will be notified by letter within 3 days. The Head of centre will detail the reasons for the decision taken by the centre. In this response, the parent/carer/student will be offered the opportunity to meet with the Examinations Officer/Head of centre to clarify the issues leading to the decision.

 

Should, in the view of the parent/carer/student, the centre’s decision not to support an appeal be inappropriate, they will be directed toward the JCQ (Joint Council on Qualifications) or the relevant awarding body.

Macclesfield Tutorial College has the following policy for the use of word processors when sitting examinations at our centre.

The use of word processors during examinations is not permitted unless the candidate has a specific need which is brought to our attention during the application process. A word processor cannot be granted to a candidate simply because he/she now wants to type rather than write in examinations or can work faster on a keyboard, or because he/she uses a PC or laptop at home.

There are various circumstances which we consider acceptable justification for a candidate to request the use of a word processor. The list of circumstances includes, but is not limited to:

• A learning difficulty which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on their ability to write legibly
• A medical condition
• A physical disorder
• A sensory impairment
• Planning and organisational problems when writing by hand
• Poor handwriting (Eg. A candidate does not have a learning difficulty but is a “messy” writer. His/her handwriting is hard to decipher. A word processor may be permitted if this deemed to reflect his/her normal way of working)

In each case, we require applicants to provide medical evidence to support the need for a word processor and we reserve the right to decline an application should the evidence be deemed to be insufficient.

 

This policy conforms to regulations set out by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), which all UK examination centres must adhere to.