Centre Number: 37611

Years 10 & 11 Exams &

Assessment- a Guide

Academic Year 2011 - 12

This booklet contains information about the rules and regulations that operate throughout the period over which you complete your public exam/assessment courses.

To ensure that you arrive at your exam desk properly prepared, in the best mental and physical condition and with the correct exam paper in front of you as well as being able to complete any form of internally assessed components correctly, you need to read it carefully and follow the regulations and guidelines it contains.

Any problems or queries you might have about the exam/assessment procedures can be dealt with by the Exam Office, which is located in the Library.

Mrs. L Smith (Exams & Assessment Manager)Mr. W Fraser (Exam Officer)

September 2011

Timetable of Events

Year 10

September: All lessons now geared towards General Qualifications (GCSE/BTEC etc.

Departmental programs of GCSE Controlled Assessments & Vocational Units begin and will continue throughout Years 10 & 11.

November: GCSE exams (Maths) 1st Review Cycle

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January: GCSE exam season. Results from November exams

March: GCSE exams (Maths) Results from January exams 2nd Review Cycle

May – June: GCSE exam season 3rd Review Cycle & Parents Evening

Year 11

September: Results from June exams October: 1st Review Cycle

January: GCSE Exam season (English, Geography, History, Science) Entries made for summer exams. 2nd Review Cycle

February: Student check Statement of Entry for GCSE Units and Vocational Course

Registrations. Parent’s Evening March: Completion dates for all GCSE Controlled Assessments Personal Exam Timetables produced for each candidate and posted home.

April: Second Personal timetable issued to students. Check for changes. 3rd Review Cycle

Mid-May to end of June: Main Written Exam period. August: Final results.

September: Remarks of scripts where required. Entries for November re-sits

November: Certificates available for collection after half term. Re-sit exams (Maths only)

THE EXAMINATION SYSTEM

Separate Awarding Bodies run the public exams. While each one has its own administrative and documentation process, they are all run to the same standard. Departments are free to choose which Awarding Body syllabus they use and you should know which this is for each of your subjects. Each Awarding Body has a website on which details of the course can be found as well as (in some cases) course and revision materials

The Awarding Bodies used by The College are: AQA www.aqa.org.uk

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Edexcel www.edexcel.org.uk (includes BTEC courses) OCR www.ocr.org.uk WJEC www.wjec. co .uk City & Guilds www.cityandguilds.com

The table below shows which Awarding Body runs the courses used by Garforth.

KS4 Courses 2011 - 13 AQA Edexcel OCR WJEC

GCSE Spec No GCSE Spec.No GCSE Spec. GCSE Spec.Art 4201 Drama 2DR01 Child Dev. J441 French 4220Biology 4411 Geography 2GA01 History J415 German 4260Business Studies 4133 Maths 2MB01 Spanish 4520Chemistry 4421Des.Tech: Food 4547 BTEC Firsts Spec Code OCR NVQ Level 2DesTech: Graphic Prod. 4552 Animal Care PJ507 French 04775Des.Tech Resistant Materials 4562 Applied Science DR024 Spanish 08620Des.Tech: Textiles 4572 Art & Design DV823 OCR NationalsEnglish Language 4705 Business EC133 Travel & Tourism Cert 03724English Literature 4710 Construction EE933 Travel & Tourism Award 06597Media Studies 4812 Health & Social

CareEM862

Music 3271 Music ET991 City and GuildsPerf. Arts: Dance 4232 Performing Arts:

ActingFC402 Level 1

Physical Education / Games 4892 Sport FN007 Intro to Hair & Beauty Sector

3001-02

Physics 4451 Workskills BD845/6 Level 2Religious St. 4052 Hair Services 3002-23Science (A) 4405

Entry LevelBeauty Therapy Services

3003-40

Science - Additional 4463 MathsEnglish

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Digital Applications

DiDA, CiDA, AiDA

Statements of Entry Provisional Statement of EntryThese are produced in early February of Year 11 for students to check their GCSE exam and controlled assessment entries and Vocational Course registrations. They also show the personal details that will be sent to the Exam Boards and which will appear on your certificates.Statements of entry will be given out and checked during a PHSE session in February. You need to make sure that the following details are correct:

spelling of your name your date of birth. your gender that you are entered for all relevant exams, controlled assessments, awards (to

claim a certificate) in all of your GCSE subjects and that you are registered on to any vocational courses you are doing.

Any mistakes need to be reported to the Exam Office which will investigate them before finalising any changes. You will be asked to sign and return your statement of entry at the end of the assembly. Failure to check your statement correctly may result in you not being entered for an exam, being entered for the wrong exam, not receiving a certificate or having incorrect personal details on a certificate.

Exam Timetables Exam Board Timetables

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Provisional copies of the College Exam Timetables will be posted on the Exam Notice Board (in the Library leisure area) as soon as they are known. These will be replaced by the confirmed dates in the Spring Term.

Individual TimetablesFor exams prior to the main exam season at the end of Year 11, individual timetable will be distributed via Form Tutors. As soon as these are received all details (personal as well as exam information) should be checked and if correct, the timetable signed and kept in a safe place. If mistakes appear you must see the Exam Office immediately. If there are any exam clashes (two exams on at the same time) you must inform the Exam Officer immediately.

You must bring your signed timetable to every exam. It is proof of your identity and entry and also carries details that you will need to enable you to

fill in the front cover of your exam papers

For the main exam season at the end of Year 11 students will receive two copies of their individual timetable. The first, before Easter, will be posted to the home address. The second will be distributed via Form Tutors shortly before the exams start and will reflect any changes that may have been made. It is vital that both are checked on receipt.

Replacement timetables are available from the Exam Office but will be charged for.

It is good practice that when you receive your Exam Timetable you write down dates and times in your planner. It is also a good idea to write them on a calendar at home as this means other people know what you are doing and can remind you! Every year there are students who miss exams because they fail to do this – don’t let it be you this year!

College TimetableA copy will be posted on the College Website: www.garforthcollege.co.uk, on the Exam Site on the Student section of the Learning Platform and on Exam Notice Boards as soon as it is available.

The Exams Times

Morning exams start at 9.00 a.m. Students must be in College by 8.30 a.m.Afternoon exams start at 1.00 p.m. Students must be in College by 12.30 p.m.

Places to meet Meet in the Library Leisure Area where notices will be posted telling students in which area to sit. For large exams this will extend to the ‘Crossroads’ Leisure Area. From these places you will be sent, in candidate order, to the exam room. This order must be kept to, as this will be the seating order in the exam room.Coats and bags must be left in the specified places before you meet in the Leisure Area – they must not be taken into exam rooms.

Exam RoomsMost exams take place in either the Sports Hall or Lower School Hall but other rooms are used as well.

Exam RegulationsThe Boards set exam regulations. Failure to comply with them may lead to you being disqualified from an exam or, in extreme circumstances, from all exams in that session. A full copy is shown in Appendix 1 (written exams) and Appendix 2 (on-screen tests) at the end of this booklet, the following is a summary:

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You must not become involved in any unfair or dishonest practice in any part of an exam.

You may only take into an exam the materials and equipment that they need for that exam. At the Exam Officers discretion you may be allowed to have a still drink (in a clear, unlabelled bottle) and a packet of sweets (not wrapped) on their desk as well. Any unauthorised materials or equipment must be left outside the exam room or handed to an invigilator before the exam starts.

Awarding Bodies take a very strict line on Mobile Phones, PDA’s and MP3’s. Possession of one in an exam room, even if it is turned off, is considered as an

attempt to cheat and would result in disqualification.

On entering the exam room strict silence must be maintained until leaving. No attempt should be made to communicate with other candidates in any way.

Students cannot leave an exam before the published finish time, except in an emergency

Students will be told whether they can use a calculator or dictionary for an exam. Calculators with memories must have these cleared before the exam starts and operating instructions must not be used.

Pencil cases (unless they are transparent) calculator cases, purses etc must be placed on the floor alongside the desk. If you require anything from the floor you must ask permission from an invigilator before you get it by raising their hand.

Write only in black pen. The use of correcting fluids or pens, highlighters or gel pens is not allowed. If you make a mistake simply cross it out.

Rough work must all be done in answer booklets but then clearly crossed through. If done on additional paper this must be attached to the answer booklet.

Good Practice

Before, and during an exam period, check you should check your timetable carefully to make sure you know what days and times your exams are scheduled. If, for any reason, you know you are not going to be able to either get to an exam e.g. illness on day, or that you might be late e.g. transport problems, it is essential that you let the College know as soon as possible and ask for the message to be passed to the Exam Office.

Brains needs fuel just like a car! so have something to eat and drink for breakfast / lunch before an exam! If a you have an exam clash which will require being supervised over the lunch period, you must bring food and drink with you. It may be necessary to make adjustments to normal travelling arrangements to ensure arrival at College in plenty of time It is your responsibility to know before an exam what equipment you will need, that you have it, and that it works! This is particularly important for Maths,Science & Technology exams where calculators, drawing equipment and coloured pencils may be required. College can not provide such items. Always take spare pens and pencils into an exam.

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You must have your signed Exam Timetable with you at each exam as proof of your entry and identity. It also contains information you will require to complete the front cover of all exam answer booklets / supplementary answer booklets.

The normal College dress policy (including hair styles/make up/jewellery) applies during exam periods. You should not risk being prevented from taking an exam because you do not conform. The Sports Hall can be very hot or very cold so come prepared. It is OK to bring water (in a clear, unlabelled bottle) and sweets (unwrapped) into exams but not fizzy drinks and sandwiches!You should go to the toilet before you come into the exam room! Don’t embarrass yourself or the invigilator who will have to escort you if you need to go during the exam. No extra time is allowed for such visits and it also distracting to others in the room. Because of this toilet visits are not usually permitted in the later stages of an exam.

Candidates must listen carefully to instructions that are given at the start and finish of each exam.If during an exam you have a problem and are in doubt about what to do, put your hand up and ask an invigilator. When you are dismissed from an exam that must remember there may be candidates still working. Leave quietly and save discussions with others until outside the building.

Personal ProblemsIt is recognised by Awarding Bodies that candidates can find themselves, through no fault of their own, in situations where their performance in an exam may be impaired. As long as the Exam Office is made aware of such situations there may be procedures that can be put in place to either assist a candidate, or for consideration of the problem to be made when papers are marked. These are either:

Special Arrangements: These are applied for when it is known that a candidate has a particular problem before sitting an exam. For example this could be a difficulty in writing in which case we can arrange for an invigilator to write your exam for you, or for you to type it, or, if you have difficulties in reading, extra time can be allowed.

If you feel you qualify for this you must speak to the Exam Officer well before any exam so the necessary paperwork can be done. Special Consideration: This is applied for when something unexpected happens

which may disadvantage a candidate. For example illness during an exam or a bereavement of a close member of your family or friend. The details are forwarded to the Awarding Body who will take them into account when grades are being awarded.

To apply for special consideration requires documentary evidence. In the case of illness this needs to be a Doctor’s note. A letter from a parent or guardian would not be sufficient.

In some cases these procedures can also be applied for in relation to coursework. If you are too ill to take an exam please inform College before the

scheduled start time of the exam.

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If you have any problems regarding exams please contact Mrs Smith or Mr Fraser in the Exam Office who will deal with it. All matters are dealt with in strictest confidence. Controlled Assessment / Portfolios

This is an important part of most GCSE and all Vocational courses.

A RegulationsMake sure you follow all the guidelines set by Departments as well as those laid down by the Awarding Body. Your subject teachers should have already told you these but the official version is shown in Appendices 3 & 4.

B Advice1 Keep to the deadlines your teachers set.2 Take care of your work – keep it safe.3 Ask your teacher if you need any guidance.4 If you have been absent and have problems completing your work, talk to your

teacher.C Appeals Procedure If you feel that you have been unfairly treated regarding internally marked coursework there is an Appeals Procedure. Details of this are available from the Exam Office.

Results and Certificates

Results

Final results will be available for collection from College on the third Thursday in August. Dates, times and places will be communicated to students before they leave in Year 11. Someone else can collect your results for you as long as they have a letter of authorisation from you. Any results not collected on this date will be posted to your home address.If you want them posted to a different address you must supply the relevant details to the Exam Office before the last day of term.Results cannot be given over the telephone.

Post GCSE Results Advice

On GCSE results day, the Director of Sixth Form and Head of Year 11 will be available to offer advice on progression into the Sixth Form. Other subject tutors may also be available. Careers advice will be available for students intending to continue their education in other colleges and for those seeking employment.

On the first day of the Autumn term, all students wanting to join the Sixth Form must come into College to finalise their subject/course choices. The Director of Sixth Form, subject specialists and tutors will be available for consultation throughout the day. Timetables will be issued on the Sixth Form Induction Day, which will take place towards the end of the first week of term.

Remarks and Re-sits

Remarks (GCSE)If your results are unexpectedly poor it may be that a problem has occurred in the marking process. It is possible to have papers remarked but it is expensive. If you think a

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remark is appropriate discuss it with your subject tutor as soon as the new term starts, before seeing the Exam Office.

Re-sits (GCSE)The opportunities for re-sitting examined units vary between subjects but are limited. Once an award has been made units can not be re-used and the whole award has to be retaken.

Certificates

Certificates should be available in College from Monday of the first full week of November and need to be signed for on collection. They will not be posted. Another person can collect certificates for you as long as they have a letter of authorisation from you.

It is vital that you keep all the certificates you receive in a safe place. Employers increasingly ask to see them as proof of the qualifications you may have entered on an application form. Replacements can only be obtained from Exam Boards and they are expensive.

Certificates not claimed within 12 months are destroyed.

Appendix 1

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Appendix 2

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Appendix 3

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Preparing your work – good practice

If you receive help and guidance from someone other than your teacher, you must tell your teacher who will then record the nature of the assistance given to you.

If you worked as part of a group on an assignment, for example, undertaking field research, you must each write up your own account of the assignment. Even if the data you have is the same, the description of how that data was obtained and the conclusions you draw from it should be in your own words.

You must meet the deadlines that your teacher gives you. Remember - your teachers are there to guide you. Although they cannot give you direct assistance, they can help you to sort out any problems before it is too late.

Take care of your work and keep it safe. Don’t leave it lying around where your classmates can find it. You must always keep your work secure and confidential whilst you are preparing it; do not share it with your classmates. If it is stored on the computer network, keep your password secure. Collect all copies from the printer and destroy those you don’t need.

Don’t be tempted to use essays from online essay banks — this is cheating. Electronic tools used by awarding bodies can detect this sort of copying.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism involves taking someone else’s words, thoughts or ideas and trying to pass them off as your own. It is a form of cheating which is taken very seriously.

Don’t think you won’t be caught; there are many ways to detect plagiarism.

GCSE and Principal Learning: Controlled Assessments and Coursework

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Appendix 4

EDEXCEL BTEC ASSESSMENT MALPRACTICE

Learner malpractice

Attempting to, or actually carrying out, any malpractice activity is not permitted by EDEXCEL. The following are examples of malpractice by learners; this list is not exhaustive and other instances of malpractice may be considered by EDEXCEL at its discretion:

Plagiarism by copying and passing off, as the learner’s own, the whole or part(s) of another person’s work, including artwork, images, words, computer generated work (including Internet sources), thoughts, inventions and/or discoveries whether published or not, with or without the originator’s permission and without appropriately acknowledging the source

Collusion by working collaboratively with other learners to produce work that is submitted as individual learner work. Learners should not be discouraged from teamwork, as this is an essential key skill for many sectors and subject areas, but the use of minutes, allocating tasks, agreeing outcomes, etc are an essential part of team work and this must be made clear to the learners.

Impersonation by pretending to be someone else in order to produce the work for another or arranging for another to take one’s place in an assessment/examination/test

Fabrication of results and/or evidence

Preparing your work – good practice

If you receive help and guidance from someone other than your teacher, you must tell your teacher who will then record the nature of the assistance given to you.

If you worked as part of a group on an assignment, for example, undertaking field research, you must each write up your own account of the assignment. Even if the data you have is the same, the description of how that data was obtained and the conclusions you draw from it should be in your own words.

You must meet the deadlines that your teacher gives you. Remember - your teachers are there to guide you. Although they cannot give you direct assistance, they can help you to sort out any problems before it is too late.

Take care of your work and keep it safe. Don’t leave it lying around where your classmates can find it. You must always keep your work secure and confidential whilst you are preparing it; do not share it with your classmates. If it is stored on the computer network, keep your password secure. Collect all copies from the printer and destroy those you don’t need.

Don’t be tempted to use essays from online essay banks — this is cheating. Electronic tools used by awarding bodies can detect this sort of copying.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism involves taking someone else’s words, thoughts or ideas and trying to pass them off as your own. It is a form of cheating which is taken very seriously.

Don’t think you won’t be caught; there are many ways to detect plagiarism.

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Failing to abide by the instructions or advice of an assessor, a supervisor, an invigilator, or EDEXCEL conditions in relation to the assessment/examination/test rules, regulations and security

Misuse of assessment/examination material Introduction and/or use of unauthorised material contra to the requirements of

supervised assessment/examination/test conditions, for example: notes, study guides, personal organisers, calculators, dictionaries (when prohibited), personal stereos, mobile phones or other similar electronic devices

Obtaining, receiving, exchanging or passing on information which could be assessment/examination/test related (or the attempt to) by means of talking or written papers/notes during supervised assessment/examination/test conditions

Behaving in such a way as to undermine the integrity of the ssessment/examination/test

The alteration of any results document, including certificates Cheating to gain an unfair advantage

oooOooo

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