Internal Appeals Procedure

Policy on Internal Assessments for Qualifications with English Awarding Bodies

In accordance with the Code of  Practice for the conduct of external qualifications produced by QCA, Ockbrook School is committed to ensuring that:

• Staff who have the appropriate knowledge, understanding and skills conduct internal assessments. 

• Assessment evidence provided by candidates is produced and authenticated according to the requirements of the relevant Specifications for each subject. 

• The consistency of internal assessment is assured through internal standardisation as set out by the Awarding Bodies. Internal assessments are moderated by the awarding Bodies which recognise that internal standardisation is not possible where only one member of staff teaches a subject.

• Staff responsible for internal standardisation and/or assessment attend any compulsory training sessions.
Written Appeals Procedure

The following procedure should be followed if a student wishes to query an internal assessment mark, including cases where a candidate’s work has been rejected on the grounds of malpractice:

• Within a calendar week of the student being informed of the mark, or of the fact that the work has been rejected on the grounds of malpractice, she should arrange to discuss the concern with the teacher who assessed the work, who will explain the procedure and the criteria used in order to arrive at the mark awarded or the reasons for the rejection of the work. The teacher will also make clear to the student whether or not the work has been moderated.

• If the concern is not resolved, the student should arrange to discuss it with the Head of Department, if that person is different from the teacher who assessed the work. That discussion should normally take place within five working days of the initial discussion with the assessing teacher.

• If neither of the above courses of action result in a resolution, the student or her parents should submit a written appeal to the Head Teacher to arrive within five working days of the discussion with the Head of Department, if there has been such a discussion, or within five working days of the discussion with the teacher who assessed the work.

• On receipt of a written appeal the School will conduct an enquiry into the internal assessment. The enquiry will consider whether the procedures used in the internal assessment conform to the published requirements of the Awarding Body. The enquiry will be conducted by the Examinations Officer unless the Examinations Officer is also the teacher concerned in which case the enquiry will be conducted by the Director of Studies.

The appellant will be informed in writing of the outcome of the appeal, including details of any relevant communication with the Awarding Body and of any steps taken to protect further the interests of candidates.

If the appellant is unsatisfied with the written response received, she or her parents should
submit a request to the Head Teacher, within five working days of receiving the written response, for a personal hearing. The appellant will usually be given five working days’ notice of the date and time of the appeal and will be given sight of relevant documentation, (e.g. marks awarded), in advance of the hearing. The candidate and the teacher who made the assessment, or rejected the work, will have an opportunity to hear each other’s submission to the panel at the hearing.  The candidate may be accompanied at the hearing by her parents. The teacher who made the assessment may be accompanied by the Head of Department or other colleague. The appeal will be heard by two members of staff who have not previously dealt with the case; typically this will be the Head Teacher and/or another senior member of staff and/or a member of the governing body. The outcome of the hearing will be communicated in writing to the appellant, usually within five working days of the hearing.

Written records of all appeals procedures will be made and kept by the school.

If the investigation has not been completed by the time the marks need to be submitted to the Board, or if the outcome of the investigation is likely to affect other students’ marks OR procedures within the school, the Board will be informed.

Statement for students:

“If at any stage during your examination courses you have concerns about procedures used in assessing your internally marked work for public examinations, (e.g. coursework, portfolio, project),  you should see the Examinations Officer as soon as possible.”

(Updated March 2010)