Private Candidate Grading Timeline
Today, 12th March 2021, Tutors & Exams have released their Private Candidate Grading Timeline. This comes ahead of the Department for Education (DfE), Ofqual and Awarding Organisation announcements due for early next week.
As you are no doubt aware, the DfE and Ofqual released the outcomes of their consultation on GCSE and A Level grades on the 25th February 2021. Cambridge International released guidance for grading candidates on the 26th February 2021. This has allowed Tutors & Exams to draw up a handy Private Candidate Grading Timeline. Whilst we appreciate that not all of the information we need has been released by the DfE or Regulator just yet, we have been busy in the background putting together our draft proposals. These are due to be released to candidates registered with us on Monday 15th March 2021. However, there may be a slight delay should the announcements from the DfE, Ofqual and Awarding Organisations significantly change the processes we were adopting.
Our processes will include fees that will need to be levied to candidates in addition to our standard charges, where candidates have no relationship with a reputable Learning Provider, or their Learning Provider is unable to provide/facilitate a grade. We do get asked why there are additional fees to the standard charges. There are several reasons for this. Tutors & Exams is required to adopt a number of the processes which are normally those of the Awarding Organisations. Those processes include marking, assessing, scheduling, moderating, standardising, additional software purchases, grading and offering remote assessments. This is in addition to our normal, continuous, running costs. It is unfortunate that Tutors & Exams is unable to bear these costs.
Although, as with 2020, the process, if required, will be at cost. However, we are confident that evidence, that will be required, can be drawn from Learning Professionals not currently affiliated with Tutors & Exams. As you will see from the Private Candidate Grading Timeline, we will be accepting DLP/Tutor Processes for sign off up to the 2nd April 2021. So, candidates working with a reputable learning provider, which will be validated by Tutors & Exams, are able to submit evidence and possibly their complete grade.
This is a process that was unavailable to Private Candidates in 2020 and should support a significant proportion of those candidates with reliable evidence held by another provider. Where candidates fall short of having a bank of evidence, Tutors & Exams will be able to work with the candidate to enable them access to grading. We also expect further guidance from the DfE on additional fees for GCSE and A Levels in the coming days. Please remember that International GCSE, International A Level Qualifications offered by Pearson Edexcel and Cambridge International are not regulated by Ofqual and fall out of the remit of the DfE.
Tutors & Exams previously stated that candidates would be able to wait until the 1st April 2021 in order to make a decision about grading. However, due to time constraints and the unprecedented number of candidates booking at the centres; we have had to bring the deadline for decisions forward to the 19th March 2021. We have also announced a Final Entry Cut Off date of the 1st April 2021. All candidates entering after the 19th March 2021 will be assumed to be accepting the process.
We do hope that you find this information reassuring and informative during these difficult times. Please continue with your studies as if exams were going ahead. Stay Safe and be kind to yourself and each other!
More information will be released to candidate portals in due course.
Have a great weekend!
Simon Cherriman
Commercial Manager
© Tutors & Exams 2021