KS4 & KS5 Asssessment
How do we assess your child’s progress in KS4 and 5?
What is the aim of assessment in KS4 and 5?
At Meden School our aim is that our students learn their curriculum well so that they know more and can do more. This knowledge and capability will prepare students well for success in their examinations and beyond. It is also important that any gaps are identified through the assessment process so that these can be effectively addressed.
To do this we use both:
- Formative assessment– as an ongoing element of our teaching to check for student understanding
- Summative assessment– to assess how well students are learning and remembering the curriculum
What do we assess in Key Stage 4 and 5?
In Key Stage 4 and 5 we assess against guidelines laid down:
- by Ofqual for all qualifications
- by Examination Boards for individual qualifications
Please see curriculum plans for more details.
What does formative assessment look like?
Checking for student understanding might take the form of:
- questioning in lessons
- live marking of students’ work
- quizzes and tests in lessons or set as homework
- other forms of retrieval practice for students
- practice examination style questions or essays in class or set as homework
- pre-testing to see what prior knowledge students already have
- a gap analysis assessment to identify any gaps in knowledge that a student/ class or year group might have
Teachers will use this formative assessment to help them plan lessons and provide feedback to students about what they need to do next. Such feedback will concentrate on students’ learning gaps and how to close these.
What does summative assessment look like?
Assessing how well students are learning and remembering the curriculum might take the form of:
- a test, exam or assessment
- an exam style question taken in timed or ‘closed’ conditions
- an extended piece of work
- Practical outcome
When do we report on student progress in KS4 and 5?
In Key Stage 4 and 5 we assign performance grades two or three times a year. We report on the following:
CWG = Current Working Grade
PG = Predicted Grade
ATL = Attitude to Learning
Where mock exams have taken place we will also report a mock grade.
How do we report on student progress in KS4 and 5?
In Key Stage 4 and 5 we assign performance grades. These represent a teacher/ curriculum team’s judgement on the grade that best represents how the student is likely to perform based on a range of performance factors including:
- current performance informed by assessments
- the effectiveness of the student’s learning routines
- the relative weighting of examined and non-examined content
- how much of the content has been assessed at this point
KS4 and 5 Grading
KS4 Grades: The GCSE grading system in England runs on a scale from 9 to 1. The highest grade you can get is a 9, with 1 being the lowest. This system was introduced in 2017, replacing the old GCSE grading system that awarded students letter grades from A* to G.
In the current grading system, a score of 9, 8 and 7 are equivalent to an A* and A. A 9 is for a student who has performed exceptionally well. A grade of 4 is the equivalent of a C grade, known as a standard pass. A grade of 5 is also a C grade but is known as a strong pass.
KS5 Grades: The pass grades for A Levels are, from highest to lowest, A*, A, B, C, D and E. Those who do not reach the minimum standard required for a grade E receive the non-grade U (unclassified), and those who fail to complete any of the subject's components will receive an X