Non-Examination Assessment

The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) has instructed schools to inform students of their marks in non-examination assessment (NEA) units GCSE programmes. Students now have the right to request copies of NEA assessments and the right to request a review of marking of any NEA components, prior to the submission of marks, to the awarding body.

The following GCSE courses comprise NEA elements and therefore, would be theoretically eligible for marking reviews:

  • Art & Photography
  • Food and Nutrition
  • Design and Technology
  • Drama
  • English Language (speaking component only)
  • Music
  • Physical Education

Teachers will inform students of the provisional mark awarded for NEA components during lessons at various points in the spring term. There are no common deadlines across awarding bodies or subject areas and therefore, it is not possible to be precise relating to the release of such information at this stage.

Should a student wish to request a review, he/she needs to inform the Exams Office of their intention within 3 working days of receiving the marks. Parents must also complete the NEA Marking Review form  (if you can't access the form, please 'save' the document first) which can be found on the ‘Exams Arrangement’ area on the website. This form must also be completed within 3 working days in order to trigger the review process. Please be advised, there will be an administration charge incurred for each review requested. Charges levied will be commensurate with those set by awarding bodies and will range from £36.00 to £56.00 depending on the subject.

Marking reviews will be undertaken by subject specialists with appropriate levels of competence and expertise. However, they must be impartial and therefore, staff must have had no previous involvement in the assessment and marking processes. Similarly, any member of staff with a conflict of interest due to a personal relationship with a student or family, will not be permitted to undertake a review. Students will be informed of the outcome of the review in due course. It is important to note that students’ marks after the completion of a review are not final. They are still subject to change during the moderation process that takes place externally as part of the awarding process.

We do not anticipate marking reviews yielding positive results. Historically, teachers at Calthorpe Park School have proven to be expert in marking and assessment. It is common for awarding bodies to commend teaching staff on the accuracy of marking and moderation as part of the examination process. Therefore, we cannot advise students to embark on this process with any degree of certainty that marks may rise. In fact, students must be aware that marks could go down as well as up as part of a review process.


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