Experience and Innovation
ABC Awards Exam Officers Guide 2011 - 12
Exam Officers Guide 2011-12 A Guide to Working with ABC Awards
Experience and Innovation
A GUIDE TO WORKING WITH ABC AWARDS This Guide is on the ABC web site only, a web key which provides a direct link to the documents, has been issued to all ABC accredited centres. This web key will always take you to the latest version of the Guide, which is updated monthly. This Guide has been produced to help support Examination Officers and Administrators whose role it is to liaise with ABC Awards. Please be aware that the ABC Awards’ External Assessment Timetables and Fees are published in advance on the ABC web site in February before the next academic year is due to start. These can be subject to amendment and changes before final publication. Sources of additional information The ABC Awards web site www.abcawards.co.uk provides access to a wide variety of information regarding qualifications, forms and downloads. There are separate sections designated for each ABC qualification sector as well as one specifically for Examination Officers. ABC Awards holds annual events specifically for Moderators, External Verifiers, Examiners, Tutors and Examination Officers or those dealing with learner registrations, certification etc. Details of these will be sent to you by ABC Awards’ Administrators or Marketing. ABC Awards also exhibits at and attends many national and regional conferences and exhibitions throughout the year. Information regarding these events will also be published on the ABC Awards web site. Data Protection ABC Awards is registered under the Data Protection Act and is committed to maintaining the highest standards when handling personal information. © ABC Awards All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publishers. Office Locations Contact Details - ABC Awards Staff and their Contact Details Contact Details - A-Z List of all ABC Awards Staff
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Exam Officers Guide 2011-12 Contents Page
Experience and Innovation
Forms CR1 - Centre Recognition Form Section 1 CR1 - Centre Recognition Form Section 2 CR1e - Onscreen Test Approval Application Declaration of Authenticity COCD1 - Notification of Change of Candidate Details E2 - Application for Reasonable Adjustments E2A - Application for Special Consideration E2C - Reasonable Adjustments Approved By Centre EX4a - Reasonable Adjustments - Candidates CF1 - Complaints Form R6 - Replacement Certificate Application
Policies, Procedures and Guidance Access to Assessment Approved Centre NVQ Criteria Assessment Centre Approval Policy Centre Guidance for Centre Recognition Centre Guide to Reasonable Adjustments* and Special Consideration Centre Guidance When Applying for Special Arrangements Centre Moderation Checklist Centre Recognition Policy Claiming Certification Complaints Copyright Customer Service Statement Despatch of Assessment Evidence Direct Claims e-Moderation Guide Enquiries and Appeals Equality and Diversity External Assessment External Assessment Timetable External Candidates External Moderation / Verification Health and Safety Instructions for the Conduct of Examinations and Other External Assessment Learner Enrolment Malpractice and Maladministration Privacy Notice Qualification Approval Policy Reasonable Adjustments Persmissions Table Record Keeping Sanctions Standardisation and Benchmarking Technical Requirements for Onscreen Testing *Centre Guide to Reasonable Adjustments Produced By Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB)
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Exam Officers Guide 2011-12 Contents Page / Glossary
Experience and Innovation
Fees 2011-12
ABC Qualifications Adult Care Art, Design and Creative Industries Business & Enterprise Childcare and Early Years Complementary Therapies Construction and Building Services Counselling Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies Fashion and Textiles Health and Fitness Hospitality and Catering Land Based / Environmental Languages Preparation for Life and Work Retail / Warehousing / Distribution Teaching and Learning Support Youth and Community
Glossary Apprenticeship A structured, work-based training programme at Level 2 and Level 3, leading to nationally recognised qualifications. Learners gain a National Vocational Qualification, plus key skills and technical certificates. ASL - Additional and Specialist Learning Qualifications that learners choose to include in their Diploma that are complementary or specialised in character. Additional and specialist learning must provide high-quality breadth and/ or depth of curriculum experience, without duplication of principal learning, and be based on a solid evidence-base of progression opportunities for learners who want to progress into immediate employment with training, or full-time further and/or higher education. Awarding Body An organisation recognised by the regulators for the purpose of awarding accredited qualifications. External Assessment A form of independent assessment where tasks are set and learners’ work is assessed by the awarding body. FL – Foundation Learning The development of the FLT introduces new progression pathways focusing on the skills and learning needed for progression from Entry and Level 1 to Level 2.
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Exam Officers Guide 2011-12 Glossary
Experience and Innovation
GLH – Guided Learning Hours The number of hours of supervised or directed study time assigned to complete the qualification or a unit of a qualification. Internal Assessment A form of assessment where assessment tasks are set and learners’ work assessed by the centre, subject to external moderation or verification where appropriate. (See Moderation). Level The level at which a qualification is accredited. A qualification may be made up of units that are not all regarded as being at the same level. All qualifications assigned the same level are broadly comparable with each other. In national curriculum assessments, ‘level’ refers to the national curriculum level of attainment. Moderation The process through which internal assessment is monitored to ensure that it meets required standards, and through which adjustments to results are made where required to compensate for any differences in standards that are encountered. Ofqual Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator. Ofqual regulates qualifications, exams and tests in England. www.ofqual.gov.uk QCF – Qualifications and Credit Framework The QCF is the architecture that helps define learning – how difficult it is, and how much time and effort it takes. It can be used to make sense of the thousands of qualifications needed to service all the different skills, occupations and companies that need a skilled workforce. Using rules of combination, the QCF can build qualifications from credit-based units so that no learning is lost and that learners can transfer their learning around the system. Qualification An award made by an awarding body to demonstrate a learner’s achievement or competence. Qualification Guidance A detailed document defining the purpose, content, structure and assessment arrangements for a qualification that an awarding body submits for accreditation by the regulators. RITS – (Regulatory IT System) The Register of Regulated Qualifications contains details of Recognised Awarding Organisations and Regulated Qualifications in England (Ofqual), Wales (DCELLS) and Northern Ireland (Ofqual for vocational qualifications and CCEA for all other qualifications). http://www.accreditedqualifications.org.uk. Sector In relation to the Diploma, the term sector refers to an employer-led line of learning in a specific area of work, such as construction or engineering.
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Exam Officers Guide 2011-12 Glossary
Experience and Innovation
SSC – Sector Skills Councils Organisations representing employers in a specific sector of the economy. There are approximately 21 SSCs in the UK. Through these SSCs, employers take a key role in deciding what the qualifications will contain, thus ensuring their value in industry and business. Verification A process of moderation that includes local checking of assessment processes and decisions. (See Moderation)
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