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Tracy Tierney and Barbara Hitchcox, secondary ICT consultants, identify provide some tips for improving coursework at KS4.
Even those of us who are very experienced in delivering Key Stage 4 syllabi and enabling students to achieve success can benefit from a review of our practice to ensure confident coverage of the assessment objectives in relation to the mark criteria.
Across the county departments deliver a wide range of syllabi and while all differ in content and depth, the practicalities of effective delivery are generic. Whilst the tips below may appear obvious and common sense, often they are overlooked in our rush to move the students forward and meet deadlines.
· Teachers should attend update sessions run by the exam board annually. If all teachers are unable to attend ensure that sufficient department time is given to cascade information.
· Read the feedback from the last year’s moderation. Share the advice on how to improve results with the department.
· Be aware of student data and how to make best use of it
· Ensure that any documentation that you use to support your delivery is the most recent version.
· Read the syllabus and be aware of associated documentation (such as teachers’ notes), which may further clarify the assessment objectives and mark criteria. Separate the document into manageable chunks and highlight relevant text.
· Familiarise yourself with the mark criteria
o Identify how the marks are awarded (e.g. are they hierarchical or are marks awarded for discrete sections?)
o Identify terms and text which demonstrate progression along the mark scale
· Familiarise yourself with any pre-release materials (for example the AQA set assignment)
You should by now have a picture of what the students are required to do and how the mark criteria need to be met.
· A well detailed SoW will identify opportunities for assessment and deadlines
· Use the documentation to create and share with the department:
o A detailed Scheme of Work which includes lesson by lesson objectives which link directly to the mark criteria thereby ensuring that students are given full opportunity to achieve their potential and that an opportunity to attain all marks has been given.
· Decide on the timings ensuring that it fits around key dates in the school diary (work experience, internal exams, bank holidays)
Some schools who have 5 lessons a fortnight and deliver a full course allocate one lesson for coverage of the theory, in which case a discrete Scheme of Work mapping all theoretical requirements for both coursework and exam may be produced. If it is not appropriate to separate the two aspects then the theory should be carefully incorporated into the main SoW making appropriate links to the coursework where possible.
When preparing students for exams do not attempt to go through a whole paper at any one time. Use small sections or individual questions from past papers to demonstrate model answers and analyse specific vocabulary focusing on one aspect of the theory requirements at a time. The difference between words such as ‘describe’, ‘define’, ‘explain’, ‘compare’, ‘contrast’ and ‘discuss’ should be made clear and also where questions are worth several marks, how the answer should be constructed to notch up the marks.
Mark Schemes
Departments should also consider the production of a student-friendly mark scheme, which the students should be taught to use to cross-reference their evidence with the mark criteria. Obviously to do this successfully the mark criteria need to have discrete reference numbers and the students need to number the pages of their coursework consecutively (while work is in progress it may be more appropriate to do this in pencil and complete using pen or footers for the final draft). This in effect means that the students mark their own work before you do so.
It is also good practise to facilitate student ownership of both the syllabus and Scheme of Work.
Lessons
The three-part lesson is now almost ubiquitous at Key Stage 3 and yet teachers are often reluctant to continue this good practise into Key Stage 4. Lessons can often deteriorate into the ‘carry on with your coursework from last lesson’ mode. Every mark criteria carries with it an opportunity for structured teaching and modelling of the desired outcomes and it is through this practice that teachers can ensure they have given students every opportunity to fulfil their potential.
Every lesson should have a clear objective, which is linked to the mark criteria, that is shared with the students so that they are constantly aware which marks are being targeted each lesson.
The logistics of producing the desired outcome including drafts and annotations should be incorporated into this structured lesson delivery; left to chance the evidence may be inadequate.
Modelling
Demonstrate what the outcomes should look like with structured use of exemplar past coursework at middle to high grades (C-A). Analyse small sections with students to identify content which would achieve a C grade and how that same piece differs at an A grade. Also make available chunked coursework as a resource for students so that they can check their own work with the desired outcomes.
Develop confidence in your assessment by meeting regularly (termly) to assess and standardise sections of the coursework at all stages of the work. Set short-term deadlines for different elements rather than one long time frame. Keep the students informed of their progress but be sure to give only general feedback of what they have achieved and what they need to do in order to ‘fill gaps’ and gain higher marks rather. JCQ advice states “Having reviewed the candidate’s coursework it is not acceptable for teachers to give, either to individual candidates or to groups, detailed advice and suggestions as to how the work may be improved in order to meet the assessment criteria.” (The JCQ Instructions for conducting coursework/portfolios can be found at: http://www.jcq.org.uk/qualifications/exam_documents/regulations_guidelines/?contentID=4)
Set and share clear end of unit deadlines at the start of the year and refer to them on a regular basis. These need to be adhered to.
Students falling behind in their work should be supported at the earliest opportunity
Departmental moderation dates should be in the calendar at the beginning of the year.
Departments should set aside regular times for moderation of work to ensure departmental consistency. Schools should take up the offer of free moderation by exam boards early, particularly when embarking on a new syllabus.
· Work should not be submitted in plastic wallets or ring binders; treasury tags are ideal
Ensure that students
· complete the name, candidate number, etc. on their candidate mark sheet
· attach their candidate mark sheet to the front of their work
· number pages – use headers and footers to establish good practice in labelling work
· sort their work and tasks into logical task order, preferably with a title sheet for each section
· remove unnecessary sheets and class handouts
· remove multiple printouts of the same work
