LEVEL 3 WJEC Level 3 EXTENDED PROJECT ADMINISTRATION HANDBOOK FOR CENTRES 2017 2018 The procedures in this handbook apply to those candidates registering for the Level 3 Extended Project specification (for teaching from September 2015)
Contents 1 Contacts 2 About this Handbook 3 Key Dates 4 Entry Procedures 5 Project Title Approval 6 Submission of Coursework 7 Standardising marking within centres 8 Annotation of work 9 Moderation and feedback 10 Return of work to centres 11 Authentication 12 Malpractice 13 Unsatisfactory practice by centres Page 3 3 4 4 5 6-9 9 10 10 11 11 12 13 Appendix Internal Assessment Mark Input System Step-by-step Guide 2017-18
1. CONTACTS Glenda Kinsey Extended Project Qualification Manager 029 2026 5348 glenda.kinsey@wjec.co.uk Tania Lucas Qualification Subject Support Officer 029 2026 5343 tania.lucas@wjec.co.uk Allison Candy Domain Leader 029 2026 5093 allison.candy@wjec.co.uk 2. ABOUT THIS HANDBOOK This Handbook provides WJEC centres with the essential information for operating the administration of the Extended Project Qualification for teaching from September 2015. This Handbook should be used with the following publications: Extended Project Specification (for teaching from September 2015 onwards) WJEC Entry Procedures and Coding Information. Page 3
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS 3. KEY DATES Entries for the Extended Project Qualificationsare available in the June series only. 3.1 Entry Deadlines Examination series Final Date for receipt of entries June 21 March 2018 3.2 Making late entries 3.3 Fees Examination series Late entries will be charged from June 5 April 2018 Examination series Very Late entries will be charged from June 5 May 2018 Level Entry Fee Late Fee Very Late Fee Extended 36.66 73.32 91.65 3.4 Results Dates 4. ENTRY PROCEDURES The following table gives the dates when results will be in centres. Please note that results are available via WJEC Online and EDI on a date prior to those below unless confirmed otherwise. Examination Results in Level series centres on Extended June 16 August 2018 4.1 Methods of Entry Centres can make entries for the Extended Projects via EDI or Secure Website. 4.2 Entry Codes English Medium Welsh Medium Level Subject Option Subject Option Level 3 (Extended) 9500 03 9500 W3 Page 4
5. PROJECT TITLE APPROVAL We offer continuous support to centres who are offering the Extended Project Qualification for the first time or who have newly appointed Course Leaders/Coordinators/Supervisors for the Extended Project. Are you a new centre to WJEC or delivering the EPQ for the first time? If you are a new centre to WJEC for the EPQ, have not delivered the EPQ before, or have new staff on-board, you are encouraged to submit your students' project proposals and draft titles (EPF1 part of the EPQ File Form) to WJEC for feedback or to seek guidance for any questions concerning them. This is not a compulsory condition in delivering WJEC's EPQ, we are here to offer guidance to ensure your students start on the right track. It is the responsibility of your centre to approve your students' project proposals and titles. As your centre delivers the qualification in subsequent years, your Course Leader/Project Co-ordinator/Supervisor will be able to offer the initial feedback, as well as approve your students' project proposals. There are many benefits on why your centre should approve your own students' project proposals and draft titles, these include saving time, ability to give feedback to students quickly and respond to student needs more effectively. However, WJEC staff are available to offer advice on a continuous basis. Timescales We recommend that project proposals and draft titles should be approved at least 6 months before the final submission date for the award the students are entering. This allows them sufficient time to undertake their projects. For example, students completing their EPQ within one academic year, starting in September, the project proposals should be approved by your centre by mid November, 6 months before the standard 15 May submission date for the Summer series, however final project titles can be refined at any time, even after the mid-project review, as students engage with the final write up. Overlaps with other qualifications The Extended Project must be the original work of the learner. Any assignment or coursework/s already submitted, or yet to be submitted, for assessment, in another accredited qualification, e.g. GCE, is not eligible. Dual accreditation is not allowed and it is the responsibility of the centre to ensure this is avoided. WJEC accepts that there may be some overlap in skills and/or subject content with GCE courses, however, the skills developed and content for the EPQ are different to GCE A/AS level courses. Learners will be extending and developing their skills for the EPQ beyond another programme of study. Students may wish to use one of their other programmes of study as a springboard to undertake a more in-depth research project into an area of particular interest, or in preparation for their future Higher Education courses. If you have any concerns regarding dual accreditation, please contact us to check before your students embark on their EPQ. Page 5
6. SUBMISSION OF COURSEWORK 6.1 Project Mark Submission Examination series Project marks to be submitted to WJEC (online - IAMIS) June by 8 May, 2018 Please see Appendix 1 - Internal Assessment Mark Input System (IAMIS) Step-by-Step Guide 2017-18. Centres are reminded that the date set internally for completion of work by candidates, though flexible from WJEC s perspective, must precede the published submission date for moderation by a sufficient margin to facilitate authentication, accurate marking and internal moderation. Page 6
6.2 Moderation Sample For graded qualifications with mark-based assessment, the sample will be based on the overall rank order for the total entry. Samples will automatically be selected according to the following formula and viewed via IAMIS (see Appendix). However, WJEC may require additional samples to ensure the range of project outcomes are covered by the moderation process. Total number of candidates 1 10 All Work to be submitted (Numbers relate to rank order) 11-19 1st and every second (1, 3, 5, 7 etc.) plus the lowest scoring* folder and additional folders as necessary (reflecting the spread of marks) to make a total sample of 10 20-45 1st and every fifth (1, 6, 11, 16 etc.) plus the lowest scoring* folder and additional folders as necessary (reflecting the spread of marks) to make a total sample of 10 46-99 1st and every eleventh (1, 12, 23, 34 etc.) plus the lowest scoring* folder and additional folders as necessary (reflecting the spread of marks) to make a total sample of 10 100-199 1st and every fourteenth (1, 15, 29, 43 etc.) plus the lowest scoring* folder and additional folders as necessary (reflecting the spread of marks) to make a total sample of 15 200 299 1st and every fifteenth (1, 16, 31, 46 etc.) plus the lowest scoring* folder and additional folders as necessary (reflecting the spread of marks) to make a total sample of 25 Over 300 1st and every twentieth (1, 21, 41, 61 etc.) plus the lowest* scoring folder and additional folders as necessary (reflecting the spread of marks) to make a total sample of 25 The final sample (hard copy and e-submissions) must be with your allocated moderator by: June Series 15 May, 2018 Moderator details will be shown on the Internal Assessment Mark Input System (IAMIS), once marks have been input and samples generated. See IAMIS Step-by-Step Guide 2017-18. Page 7
Instructions for submission of Extended Projects for Moderation The final project must be submitted, for external moderation, in the form of 'WJEC Extended Project File'. This MUST include: PART A LEARNER RECORDS Form Project File Cover Sheet Learner Declaration Form (signed by both learner and supervisor) 1. Extended Project Proposal and Title EPF 1 2. Extended Project Record (a) Project Plan and Change to Plan EPF 2a & 2b (b) Record & Review of Teaching and Learning Programme EPF 2c (c) Record & Review of Individual Progress EPF 2d (d) Record of Meetings with Supervisors EPF 2e (e) Records of Any Additional Meetings with Supervisors 3. Extended Project Outcome* 4. Extended Project Presentation EPF 3 EPF 4 PART B SUPERVISOR/ASSESSOR RECORDS 5. Extended Project Presentation Witness Statement 6. Extended Project Supervisor Final Assessment & Mark Sheet Internal Standardisation Form EPF 5 EPF 6 *If, for practical reasons, the actual Project Outcome cannot be posted, the centre must ensure that clear photographic or video evidence is submitted and made accessible to the external moderator. WJEC reserves the right to visit a centre. To find downloadable versions of these forms please go to: http://www.wjec.co.uk/qualifications/qualificationresources.html?subject=extendedproject&level=level3 Page 8
Presentation of Extended Project Files The following procedures must be followed: The coversheet must be completed with the final project title, project format/type, learner name, learner number, centre name, centre number and final marks. The Learner Declaration Form, Presentation Witness Statement, Final Assessment Mark Sheet and the Centre Internal Standardisation Form must be completed for each learner. Any sources, copied material, quotations, etc. must be acknowledged and references provided, where appropriate (this may be in the form of an appendix). Work submitted for moderation must be assessible, e.g. contained in an envelope folder or held together by treasury tags, and not placed in a series of plastic pockets or a bulky ring binder or stapled. Work may be submitted through ICT (e-submission, USB). If placed in an envelope folder, this must clearly be marked with centre name and number, learner name and number. 7. STANDARDISING MARKING WITHIN CENTRES It is essential that a process of Internal Moderation takes place prior to the final submission of the Project to WJEC. Centres should use reference materials (such as exemplar material provided by WJEC) to help set the standard of assessment within the centre. Prior to assessment, it is useful to undertake a trial marking exercise. Teachers mark the same relatively small sample of work to allow for the comparison of marking standards. The exercise can take place at appropriate stages during the course and has three beneficial effects: it helps to bring about greater comparability in the marking standards; it may identify at an early stage any teachers whose standards are out of line with that of their colleagues; it alleviates a heavy marking load at the end of the course. Where the work for a component has been marked by more than one teacher in a centre, standardisation of marking should normally be carried out according to one of the following procedures. Either, a sample of work which has been marked by each teacher is re-marked by the teacher who is in charge of internal standardisation, Or, all the teachers responsible for marking a component exchange some marked work (preferably at a meeting led by the teacher in charge of internal standardisation) and compare their marking standards. Page 9
Where standards are found to be inconsistent, the discrepant teacher(s) should make adjustments to their marks or re-consider the marks of all candidates for whom they were responsible. The new marks should be checked by the teacher in charge of internal standardisation. If centres encounter any difficulties either in the application of mark schemes or in the process of internal standardisation, advice should be sought from WJEC. 8. ANNOTATION OF WORK The following general principles for the annotation of work should be related to any subject-specific requirements. (a) One of the following three approaches could be adopted: (i) (ii) (iii) summative comments either on the work, usually at the end, or on a 'cover sheet'; key pieces of evidence flagged throughout the work with annotation either in the margin or in the text; a combination of (i) and (ii). (b) Indications as to how marks have been awarded should: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) be clear and unambiguous; be appropriate to the nature and form of the work; facilitate the standardisation of marking within a centre; enable the moderator to check the application of the assessment criteria to the marking. (c) Annotation, where deemed appropriate, should: (i) (ii) indicate where the assessment criteria have been met, e.g. by writing key phrases from the criteria (such as selects information, uses a variety of techniques ) at the appropriate point in the work; indicate any planning and processing not undertaken individually and provide details of any assistance or prompting given to the candidate. 9. MODERATION AND FEEDBACK The moderator will re-assess the projects using the published marking criteria in the specification. The moderator marks are compared with the centre marks for the Projects. If any of the differences between the moderator marks and the centre marks exceeds a specified tolerance, adjustments are normally applied to the centre s marks. Moderators Reports will provide feedback on: Page 10
(i) (ii) (iii) (iv) The efficiency of the centre s administration; The appropriateness of the Projects and the coverage of the assessment objectives; The accuracy of the centre s assessments against the criteria and in relation to the agreed standard for the component; Whether the centre s marks have been adjusted. Comments on the accuracy of a centre s assessments may be made even if no adjustment is applied. For example, if the difference between the moderator marks and the centre marks is only just within the specified tolerance, the moderator will normally provide advice on the standard of marking. 10. RETURN OF WORK TO CENTRES WJEC will return Projects direct to centres after the Enquiry About Results deadline (20 September). WJEC will handle with care material submitted for moderation, but cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage. Samples may be retained by WJEC for use as exemplar or archive material. Centres are required to retain candidates' Projects under secure conditions, so far as is practicable, until all possibility of queries on results has been exhausted. Where retention is a problem, because of the nature of the work, some form of evidence (e.g. photographic, audio-taped or video taped) must be available. N.B. Candidates should be advised not to include any items of real or sentimental value e.g. photographs, certificates etc. 11. AUTHENTICATION Paragraph 5.14 of the May 2011 Code of Practice states that: The awarding organisation must require centres to obtain from each candidate a signed declaration that authenticates the work they produce for internal assessment as their own. A mark of zero or absent must be recorded if a candidate cannot provide confirmation of the authenticity of the work they have produced for internal assessment." Candidates must be aware that they are responsible for ensuring that the work submitted for assessment is their own. The JCQ documents Information for candidates - Controlled Assessments 2016/2017 and Information for Candidates - Coursework 2016/2017 are available on the JCQ website and provide instructions and guidance for centres. Page 11
For all WJEC subjects with a written internal assessment component, an authentication statement is included as part of the mark (assessment) /cover sheet for individual candidates folders. All candidates (not merely those included in the moderation sample) are required to sign the authentication statement that all work (with any exceptions stated) is their own work, countersigned by teachers that to the best of their knowledge this is the case. Where authentication forms in the moderation sample are not signed by both the candidate and the teacher, this must be reported to the Subject Officer who will follow it up with the centre. However, you should record a mark for the work as normal. Any concerns regarding the content or integrity of a folder should be brought to the attention of the Subject Officer. If specific instructions have been given at the Moderators' conferences, these should be followed. 12. MALPRACTICE Centres are informed that where any malpractice is discovered prior to the signing of the authentication statement, this need not be reported to WJEC, but should be dealt with in accordance with the centre s internal procedures. Centres are required to have a policy in place to deal with appeals by candidates against internal assessment decisions. The JCQ website contains guidance on recommended procedures for this (Arrangements for Internal Appeals about Internal Assessment decisions and Enquiries about Results). Where malpractice (e.g. plagiarism) is suspected during the moderation process, there are formal procedures for following this up with centres. This must be done via the Subject Officer, who will need full details of the material in question and, in the case of plagiarism, of the sources identified. Given the need to resolve matters well before the publication of results, it is essential that suspected malpractice is discussed with the Principal Moderator and/or Subject Officer as soon as the problem arises. All communication on such matters must be via the WJEC. Details of procedures (and the penalties for offences) are included in the JCQ document Suspected Malpractice in Examinations and Assessments 2016-2017, available on the JCQ website. Centres have been advised that further guidance on the detection of plagiarism may be found in the document Plagiarism in Examinations, also available on the JCQ website. Page 12
13. UNSATISFACTORY PRACTICE BY CENTRES Further guidance will be provided to the Head of Centre where individual teachers or centres fail to meet WJEC requirements for internally-assessed work. Where significant problems are identified, WJEC may require monitoring of the centre's arrangements for marking and standardisation. The following guidelines will be used as a means of determining whether there are matters which need to be taken up with centres. (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) Have the assessment criteria been applied appropriately? Have WJEC's administrative and procedural instructions been followed? Has the internally-assessed work been properly annotated? Has the internally-assessed work been properly authenticated, especially in those cases where some activities may have taken place outside school? Is standardisation within the centre effective and within WJEC requirements? Page 13
Internal Assessment Mark Input System (IAMIS) Step-by-step Guide 2017-18 Page 1
Contents Page Logging in to the WJEC Secure Website 3 Internal Assessment Mark Input System 5 Entering Candidates Marks 6 Absent Candidates 8 Late Candidates 8 Search for a Late Candidate 8 Consortium Arrangements 10 Submitting Marks to WJEC 11 View the sample candidates 13 Adding Additional candidates to the sample 14 Print Reports 15 Special Instructions for GCSE English and English Literature 16 Clerical errors 17 Helpline 18 Appendix creating/amending secondary accounts 19 Please note that this document is subject to continual improvements. This document will not be issued as a hard copy but the latest version will be available online by clicking on the Step-by-Step Guide button on the top of the screen. PLEASE PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO BOXED TEXT AS THIS INDICATES IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS. 2
Logging in to the WJEC Secure Website To access the online electronic marksheet you will be required to log on to the WJEC Secure Website using the following URL: The following screen will appear: http://www.wjecservices.co.uk You will receive your user name and password to enable you to log in to the secure website from the Examinations Officer at your centre. Please enter your user name and password and click on the Login button. 3
After a successful login the following screen will appear: Select Internal Assessment Marks/Outcomes from the menu at the top of the screen. If this button is not visible, the Examinations Officer can access Account Admin and add this facility to your account. See the Appendix creating/amending secondary accounts (p.19). 4
Internal Assessment Mark Input System A list of subjects/papers where marks need to be input using the online system will be shown on this screen. View your moderator details here, once your marks have been submitted. The Internal Assessment Manual is available for reference. Read the Step-by-Step guide before you begin. Print out the marks you have input to check as you go along. 5
Enter Candidates Marks Click on the Enter marks button that is adjacent to the appropriate Subject and Paper on the screen. This will produce a list of your candidates entered for this subject/paper, as shown below. Enter the marks for the candidates in candidate number sequence or name sequence. Once the mark has been entered the cursor will automatically move to the box below for the next candidate. However, the cursor will only move down the page to the next candidate if the appropriate number of digits have been input. E.g. If the maximum mark is 2 digits (e.g. 50) and the mark awarded is less than 10, either a zero will have to be entered before the mark awarded (e.g. 09) or the TAB key on the keyboard can be pressed to move the cursor down to the next candidate. If there are more than 20 candidates in one centre they will be shown on separate pages. You can alter the number of rows to display, using the pull down options at the top of this screen. 6
If the mark entered for a candidate is higher than the maximum mark for that paper a message (as shown) will appear and you will be required to enter the correct mark. Once a mark has been entered, the background of the mark box will change colour to green to show the system has accepted this mark. The drop-down menu at the top right of the screen labelled Show: has a choice of All (the default), Unmarked, Marked or Samples. When All is chosen, all candidates are shown on the screen. When Unmarked is chosen only those candidates whose marks have not been input will be shown. When Marked is chosen, only candidates with a mark input will be shown. When Sample is chosen, only candidates chosen for the sample will be shown. 7
Absent Candidates In order to indicate that a candidate is absent, tab or click into the mark column and enter the letter a or A. This will be updated to A when you exit the column. You will be asked to confirm that this candidate is Absent. Carry Forward Candidates In order to indicate that a candidate is carrying forward their mark from a previous series, tab or click into the mark column and enter the letters C or CF. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES ENTER THE MARK TO BE CARRIED FORWARD. Late Candidates Any candidate that does not appear on this screen has not been entered yet. Should teachers wish to input a mark for any candidate who is not listed on the web page, the Examinations Officer should be asked to submit the required entry as soon as possible. Once this information has been sent to WJEC by the exams officer, teachers should allow 72 hours before trying to input the mark. If there are only a small number of late entry candidates the sample can be chosen and then the mark added subsequently. Search for a Candidate Name There is a facility in the system to search for candidates by name. To use this facility, click in the box labelled Candidate Search, enter the candidate surname you wish to find and click the Search button. If the Submit Facility is Not Available Every candidate needs to be completed before the submit option is made available. On the enter marks screen change show to unmarked to highlight the candidates that still need marks inputting. 8
To return to the first screen showing all subjects/papers, click on the Save & Close button. This can be done at any time. When one subject/paper has been completed, a reminder will appear that these marks should be submitted and the samples viewed. The button initially labelled No marks to submit will remain unchanged until all candidates marks have been input. Please note, for the Welsh Baccalaureate, centres will only be able to view samples on the 19 th May 2017 for KS4/Advanced and on the 5 th June 2017 for Foundation Post-16/National Post-16. 9
Consortium Arrangements YOU ONLY NEED TO CLICK ON THE CONSORTIUM ARRANGEMENTS BUTTON IF TWO OR MORE MEMBER CENTRES WILL BE ENTERING CANDIDATES FOR WORK THAT IS CENTRE-ASSESSED All candidates in the consortium should be treated as a single group for internal assessment purposes. The teaching centre should forward the marks to each candidate s entering centre so that these can be input into the system. The online system will not be able to treat all candidates in the consortium as a single group. Therefore, consortium centres should click the consortium button (to prevent the sampling formula from being applied). Consortium co-ordinators should liaise with WJEC in order to arrange an appropriate sample across all centres involved in the consortium and ensure that the JCQ form has been submitted to WJEC. Further guidance is available in the Internal Assessment Manual. 10
Submitting Marks to WJEC When all the data has been entered for a subject/paper the marks should be submitted to WJEC. Clicking on the Save & Close button will show the first screen in the system. Once submitted, All marks submitted will appear. The View samples facility will instantly become active. 11
Clicking the submit marks and generate sample button will do two things. Firstly, the marks will be submitted to the WJEC. Secondly the system will calculate the sample. ONCE MARKS HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED TO WJEC THE MARKS AWARDED TO CANDIDATES CANNOT BE ALTERED ONLINE, BUT A REQUEST TO AMEND A MARK MAY BE SENT BY EMAIL, LETTER OR FAX (refer to Internal Assessment Manual p.11 for details). THE PRINT> BUTTON CAN BE USED AT ANY TIME, HOWEVER, TO VIEW/PRINT THE MARKS SUBMITTED. Once you have submitted your marks, this screen will appear. 12
View the sample candidates Click on the 'View samples' button The sample candidates have been indicated on the right hand side of the screen. If the sample contains a candidate whose work is incomplete or lost then subject teachers should indicate on the system the nearest candidate (either higher or lower) with complete work. THE INCOMPLETE WORK SHOULD NOT BE SENT TO THE MODERATOR. The system will not allow subject teachers to remove candidates from the chosen sample. However, the system will allow centres to add additional candidates, using the tick box facility. An explanatory note to the moderator must accompany the folders in such cases where the sample sent by the centre differs from the sample chosen by the system. 13
Adding additional candidates to the sample Change the view to show all candidates. Click the tick box for the extra candidate. You cannot remove candidates chosen by the system. An explanatory note to the moderator must accompany the folders in such cases where the sample sent by the centre differs from the sample chosen by the system. 14
Inputting teacher initials We recommend entering the candidate marks for each unit first and then the teacher initials. On inputting a mark the teacher initials box will appear. Once a teacher s initials have been input the system will store these details. It will also enable you to enter these same initials for all candidates whose work is marked by this teacher. By clicking in the teacher initial box for the next candidate in that class the initials will appear. The system will continue to repeat these initials until you click save & close. To enable the system to choose the sample, in addition to entering all the marks, you will need to input teacher initials for all candidates Clerical Error Moderators sometimes identify clerical errors during the process of reviewing the sample work from centres and these amended marks will be highlighted in red alongside the original mark. The amended mark in red will be processed to override the original mark from the centre. It is important that the centre ensures that the marks for the remaining candidates are also correct. If you do find that further amendments are required please follow the procedures as outlined in the Internal Assessment Manual (point 2.11, page 10) 15
Print Reports The VIEW/PRINT> button at the top of the screen is an option which will print all candidates for a subject/paper. Once selected, clicking on the required subject/paper on the following screen will allow the details to be viewed/printed in candidate number order. The View/Print command is available within a subject screen. A preview of the printout appears as shown above. You can then choose the Print this report button at the top left of the screen. SURNAM: FORNAME SURNAM: FORNAME SURNAM: FORNAME SURNAM: FORNAME 16
Helpline There is a dedicated helpline for any queries relating to the use of the online system. The helpline is available Monday to Friday, 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Contact: GCSE E-mail: gcse@wjec.co.uk GCE Entry Level Welsh Baccalaureate Extended Project E-mail: gce@wjec.co.uk E-mail: entrylevel@wjec.co.uk E-mail: WBQ@wjec.co.uk E-mail: glenda.kinsey@wjec.co.uk Telephone: GCSE All staff 02920 265082/420 GCE All staff 02920 265336 Entry Level All staff 02920 265444 Welsh Baccalaureate Neil Owens 02920 265078 Extended Project Glenda Kinsey 02920 265348 17
Appendix creating/amending secondary accounts Choose Account Admin and either add new user account or edit an account. Create a new account by adding the initials of the member of staff in to the box. Click 'create new account'. 18
Or to edit a secondary account: Select the Secondary account that needs permission, and click view. Enter your usual primary account password. Create a new password for the new secondary account and confirm it. To amend secondary accounts you only need to enter your primary account password. There is no need to amend the secondary account holder s password. 19
Change the access permission to yes for GCSE and /or GCE. You must select all the units that the secondary account holder will need access to. THEN YOU MUST SAVE CHANGES You will be asked to confirm your password again at the moment you save changes. Has it worked? The 'Internal Assessment' tab will now appear when the teacher logs in using their own username and password. 20