Please be assured that all Teacher Assessment Grades will be determined in accordance with Ofqual and JCQ guidance and regulations.
Our centre policy for TAGs has been approved. It follows the JCQ prescribed template which you can find here:
https://www.jcq.org.uk/summer-2021-arrangements/
The approved Brighton Girls policy is here
As well as all guidance and training materials from examination boards, Departments will use JCQ grading descriptors in order to identify grades:
https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Summer-2021-Grade-Descriptors-GCSE.pdf
and
https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Summer-2021-Grade-Descriptors-A-AS-Levels.pdf
JCQ advice is clear that grades must be based objectively on standards shown in actual student work completed and schools are not permitted to factor in potential to TAGs. JCQ says:
“Decisions about potential must not factor in the student’s grades. For example, if all the evidence collected for a student is of grade 6 and 7 standard, there would be no reason to consider providing that student any other grades.”
There is a FAQ document here:
https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/JCQ-Summer-2021-FAQs.pdf
and in June 2021 JCQ produced a Student Guide to Awarding: Summer 2021.
Revision lists and resources can be found on Departments’ Firefly Pages or Google Classrooms, as well as in student files. Lessons this term will be revision-focused.
JCQ has required examination boards to make available to students additional material too and this can be found in this document which lists which exam boards each subject uses and provides you with links to their website. The additional material is made up of past papers and so demonstrates the type of questions which will be used in the BG summer mock weeks.
Now the summer assessments are completed, we have uploaded here a Department by Department list of the evidence to be used. Students have reviewed a paper copy of these lists and signed to authenticate that it is their own work. This is a necessary step before we can submit TAGs.
GCSE Department by Department evidence list
AS & A Level Department by Department evidence list
Those students with special consideration have signed copies with the required minimal changes to these evidence lists; these can be emailed to them, on request.
In line with JCQ guidance we will use this Firefly page to ensure that students (and parents) are aware of the evidence used to determine their grade. Obviously this will also be discussed in lessons with students. However, it is vital to state that, although teachers may share results associated with individual pieces of evidence, they must not share with students the grades submitted to awarding organisations before results are released.
We are really proud of our students – particularly as the first mock week demonstrates their progress. We are confident that we will have the evidence we need to showcase and justify the grades they deserve.
FAQ
1. Will students’ TAGs be a simple mathematical average?
There is no question of an average grade. JCQ guidance definitely requires teachers to reward progress – so the more recent data is likely to have more power. For example: “Usually a student’s most recent evidence is likely to be more representative of their performance.”
https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/JCQ-Summer-2021-FAQs.pdf
and this is repeated by Ofqual (word for word!): “More recent evidence is likely to be more representative of student performance.”
2. Will the impact of Lockdown be taken into account?
JCQ want a “holistic” grade, not an average, and are very definite that the context of this extraordinary year needs to be taken into account:
“Ensure that the grades represent a holistic judgement. The grading process this year is not intended to be a formulaic calculation, and should account for the context in which each student’s evidence has been produced.”
3. Will grades between different schools be fair?
JCQ is addressing this by inspecting schools both before and after TAG submission. All the documentation and training is also in place to construct a fair grading system. In fact the message is that JCQ expect grades overall to be a little higher:
” This means that the distribution of grades is likely to be different (higher) than in previous years because maintaining standards in the form of setting grade boundaries has been removed as a result of the cancellation of exams (there are no grade boundaries to be set).”
Across the country, after results have been received, there will be an appeals system as a safety net to fix any genuine errors that were not identified earlier in the determination of grades process. In June 2021 JCQ produced a Student Guide to Awarding: Summer 2021.
This covers:
- Students’ right to appeal – If a student (including private candidates) feels the grade they’ve received is wrong, there’s an appeals process unique to this summer series, for them to follow.
- Grounds of appeal – Ofqual has produced a Student guide to awarding summer 2021 to help explain the process.
You can be confident that your teachers here are working hard look after our students and to make sure the TAG system delivers justice and success.
School Stage 2 Appeals deadlines:
Priority appeal 2pm Friday 20th August 2021
Non-priority Wednesday 4pm 15th September 2021
Results Days
AS and A-level students will receive their results on Tuesday 10 August 2021 – between 8.30 and 10am.
Please come to the admin building as the building work will have started in the Temple.
GCSE students will receive their results on Thursday 12 August 2021 – between 9 and 10.30am.
Please come to the admin building as the building work will have started in the Temple.
If someone other than the student is to collect results it will need to be confirmed in writing/via email (c.helm@brightongirls.gdst.net) who this will be.
Please note that the person collecting the results will need to bring in photographic ID, such as a driving licence. Results will be posted home or emailed to the student’s school email address if they are not collected on Results Day.
Find JCQ guidance for students and parents here:
