Year 11 exams and assessments
Category : Events
Dear Parent/Carer,
On Tuesday, Education Minister, Kirsty Williams announced that no GCSE, AS or A Level exams will take place in Wales at the end of this academic year. The Minister went on to outline:
- In place of exams, the Welsh Government will work with schools to take forward teacher-managed assessments
- Assessments will include externally set and marked tasks, delivered in a classroom, under teacher supervision
- These assessments will form the basis for centre-based outcomes which will be linked to an agreed national approach to provide consistency across Wales
We fully understand that this announcement will have generated lots of questions about how this will work in practice and how grades will be arrived at. We are now awaiting further detail from the Welsh Government, WJEC and the regulating body Qualifications Wales. As soon as more information is available, we will carefully consider the implications and communicate with you accordingly.
Until we have further subject specific guidance, we are not yet able to update you about the impact of this announcement on any coursework, practical elements or other assessment methods such as oral or performance exams. Teachers will continue to work with students on these elements in the normal way and we will share any changes with you as soon as we know more.
Year 11 students were due to sit an English Literature module examination on Of Mice and Men in January 2021. The January exam period has not been referred to specifically in the announcements and we are waiting for further guidance on the January 2021 exams. Students will continue to work on their study of this text and be assessed on this material within school as part of our normal half-termly planning. The students will still be assessed on this work even if it is not a January exam.
As normal students in year 11 will sit mock examinations this fortnight. This process will continue as part of our usual assessment for learning strategies. End of term LP assessments will also continue as part of our assessment processes. These should be regarded as important check points to assess students’ understanding of the material they have covered so far, and to inform the next steps in their learning.
We appreciate that the uncertainty surrounding examinations and assessments may have been the cause of anxiety and worry in recent weeks and months and hope that this development offers at least some clarity and re-assurance. We are committed to ensuring that our students continue to engage in learning and achieve to the very best of their potential, regardless of the method of assessment.
We will keep you updated as soon as we have more information and thank you for your understanding and continued support.
Yours sincerely
Mr M Vickery (Headteacher)
