Glossary
- Access arrangements
- Arrangements which are agreed before an assessment to allow learners with special educational needs, disabilities or temporary injuries to access the assessment. They allow learners to show what they know and can do without changing the demands of the assessment. An access arrangement that meets the needs of a disabled learner would be a ‘reasonable adjustment’ for that particular learner.
- Assessment
- The process of making judgements about the extent to which a learner’s work meets the assessment criteria for a qualification or unit, or part of a unit.
- Assessment criteria
- The requirements that learners need to meet in order to achieve success (or a given grade) in a qualification or unit, or part of a unit.
- Assessment objective
- One of a set of statements in a specification describing the focus of assessment.
- Assistive technologies
- Mechanical or electronic devices that help individuals with particular needs to overcome limitations.
- Carrier language
- The language used to set an assessment (as opposed to technical language, use or knowledge of which is being assessed).
- Centres
- Eductional institutions, training providers or employers where assessment is undertaken.
- Competence standard 5
- An academic, medical, or other standard applied by or on behalf of an awarding organisation for the purpose of determining whether or not a person has a particular level of competence or ability.
- Component 6
- A discrete assessable element within a qualification which is not itself formally reported.
- Content
- The coverage of a qualification, programme, module, unit or other component, expressed as the skills, knowledge, understanding or area of competence that is covered.
- Controlled assessment
- Assessment undertaken where full examination conditions do not apply. The awarding organisation specifies the controls that apply to how work is set, the conditions under which it is done and how it is assessed.
- Coursework
- Tasks completed by a learner during the course of study and assessed against criteria made explicit in the specification.
- Modified papers
- Papers which are adapted to meet the needs of individual learners, for example by simplifying language, or diagrams, or producing a Braille version.
- Qualification
- An award made by an awarding organisation for demonstration of achievement or competence.
- Reasonable adjustment
- A reasonable step taken to lessen or remove the effects of a substantial disadvantage to a disabled learner in an assessment. A reasonable adjustment for a particular person may be unique to that individual.
- Reliability
- The extent to which assessment results are an accurate measurement of the learners’ demonstration of the abilities specified by the assessment criteria.
- Specification
- The complete description – including mandatory and optional aspects – of the content, assessment arrangements and performance requirements for a qualification.
- Unit
- The smallest part of a qualification that is capable of certification in its own right.
- Validity
- The fitness for purpose of an assessment tool or scheme.
- Competence standards are used for vocational qualifications. They are not used in relation to general qualifications.
- As defined by the GSCE, GCE Code of Practice. The definition of 'component' within composite qualifications is different, for example, components of the Diploma include whole qualifications.
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