Teacher Assessed Grades
This information is relevant to students completing a pre-degree UAL Awarding Body qualification at one of our approved centres – it does not apply to UAL undergraduate or postgraduate students.
Department for Education and Ofqual have announced how results will be awarded this Summer 2021. For those vocational qualifications most similar to GCSEs and A levels, awarding organisations will be permitted to award qualifications using a process that includes Teacher Assessed Grades.
Deadline for Teacher Assessed Grades
In order to meet government set deadlines we ask all centres to review timetables for qualification completion, including final major projects. Centres will be required to submit all internally quality assured Teacher Assessed Grades by the 18 June.
Continuing to produce evidence and final major projects
It is crucial that centres continue to engage students and encourage them to produce evidence that can be used as a basis for awarding fair results. This includes working to complete final major projects.
UAL Awarding Body is developing a fair and inclusive process which will enable all student-produced evidence to contribute to the Teacher Assessed Grades. Our approach will also allow recognition of reasonable adjustments and special consideration where appropriate, as normal mitigations such as extensions to final unit submission deadlines are not appropriate this year.
Further instructions and support for centres
We will be producing detailed guidance and support for centres once final regulatory arrangements have been confirmed in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile all of our approved centres are receiving an online support visit from one of our experienced external quality assurers. This is helping centres to get ready for the results process this year.
Our online standardisation events are also being updated to prepare centres for Teacher Assessed Grades and quality assurances processes. We encourage staff at centres to register for these as soon as possible.
Key points affecting UAL Awarding Body qualifications
- The vast majority of UAL Awarding Body qualifications will come under rules designed for vocational and technical qualifications which support progression to further study, including to Higher Education
- We expect to be able to offer a consistent approach across UK nations barring some minor details
- Fairness to students will be one of the key guiding principles in determining results
- Assessments for a small number of UAL Awarding Body professional competency qualifications may be delayed or adapted and details will follow
- Ofqual is carrying out a consultation on the detail of their new regulatory framework which will be running until 11 March so that final details can be agreed between regulators and awarding organisations.
- Teachers will have an active role in proposing grades again this year via Teacher Assessed Grades
- Awarding organisations will be required to set out the internal quality assurance process that should be used at centres for those proposed grades
- Evidence toward grades will be considered from broader sources than the final assessed units and we will be producing additional guidance on this
- UAL Awarding Body will play an important role in quality assuring final results in order to support validity, comparability and standards
- National deadlines will be set for submission of Teacher Assessed Grades to awarding organisations and for the confirmation of final results by awarding organisations
UAL Awarding Body is well-prepared for this approach, which will fit well with our existing planning. We will take a collaborative approach with centres building on our approach from last Summer which was well received by students and centres. We are especially pleased that fairness to students is explicitly at the centre of approach set out by DfE and regulators, and are looking forward to giving students the recognition they deserve.
Contacts us
We know everyone is keen for further detail on the precise process for deciding grades and making appeals this year. We will provide this detailed guidance when final decisions are made following Ofqual’s current consultation. We ask that in the meantime centres only contact us with specific or urgent enquiries while we finalise instructions for everyone.
For general enquiries please contact us at comms.awarding@arts.ac.uk
For enquiries about delivery of learning please contact academic.awarding@arts.ac.uk
For enquiries about our policies on adjustments or special considerations please contact quality.awarding@arts.ac.uk
If you need help registering students or with our Quartz portal please contact operations.awarding@arts.ac.uk
