This article covers the assessment of pupils in compulsory secondary education aged 11-16 (Key Stages 3 and 4, ISCED 2 and 3).

Pupil/students assessment

Responsibilities

Responsibility for pupil assessment is shared.

The Welsh Government has overall responsibility for keeping statutory assessment arrangements under review and for advising the Welsh Ministers accordingly. This is determined by Section 108 of the Education Act 2002.

Estyn, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales, is responsible for school inspection under the Education (Schools) Act 1992. During an inspection, pupil standards and progress, and tracking, monitoring and the provision of learning support are evaluated in line with Estyn’s Common Inspection Framework.

Qualifications Wales is responsible for regulating the qualifications available to pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 (age 16). It was established under the Qualifications Wales Act 2015.

Awarding organisations (AOs) develop and design qualifications in line with Qualification Wales’ regulatory requirements.

Local authorities(LAs) have a duty to ensure that schools in their area administer statutory assessments appropriately.

Schools are responsible for planning the whole school curriculum for their pupils, for assessing pupil learning, for informing parents of progress, and for complying with statutory assessment requirements. Responsibility is shared between the headteacher and the school governing body. Teachers use both formative and summative assessment to evaluate learners’ progress towards planned learning objectives, and use the information from this assessment to improve their own planning and teaching.

Key features of the assessment framework in compulsory secondary education include:

• national standardised literacy (reading) and numeracy tests for pupils in all years of Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9, ages 11-14)

• statutory summative teacher assessment in all national curriculum subjects at the end of Key Stage 3 (age 14)

• external examinations at the end of Key Stage 4 (age 16).

In addition to providing information on individual pupil progress, results from the statutory system of assessment also contribute to the performance data which is collected and analysed nationally for the school accountability system – the National School Categorisation System.The results of examinations at the end of Key Stage 4 also determine progression to post-compulsory secondary education, further education, training or the workplace.

Assessment in Key Stage 3

Pupils in all years of Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9, ages 11-14) must take national standardised literacy and numeracy tests. The tests aim to gauge pupil progress in the key skills of reading and numeracy and take place once a year in May. Pupils’ performance is graded using standardised scores. The tests provide summative data on pupil performance, which is collected and analysed nationally.

The tests were introduced in 2013 as part of the Welsh Government’s response to Wales’ poor results in PISA 2012. Introduced under The Education (National Curriculum) (Assessment Arrangements for Reading and Numeracy) (Wales) Order 2013 (as amended), they are based on the National Literacy and Numeracy Framework.

Reading is assessed through a 60-minute test. Pupils who are in a Welsh-medium setting take both Welsh-medium and English-medium tests.

The numeracy test is split into two papers, both of which last 30 minutes: numerical procedures and numerical reasoning. The procedural paper is designed to assess essential numeracy skills such as addition, multiplication and measuring. The reasoning paper assesses how well learners can use what they know to solve numeracy problems they are likely to encounter in their everyday lives.

Note: In May 2017, the Government announced that online reading and numeracy tests would begin to be introduced in phases from 2018/19, replacing paper tests. The new format - known as ‘personalised assessments’ – automatically adjusts the level of the questions to match the individual taking the test, with the aim of challenging each learner as appropriate. The personalised assessments also aim to reduce marking time and administration. They are being phased in as follows:

For further information on the tests, see the subheading ‘National standardised reading and numeracy tests’ in the article 'Assessment in Primary Education’.

At the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9, age 14), there is statutory teacher assessment in all national curriculum subjects. This is required under The National Curriculum (Key Stage 3 Assessment Arrangements) (Wales) Order 2005 (as amended).

Teachers are required to make summative judgements of each learner’s performance in all subjects and to report these in terms of the national curriculum levels (a 1-8 level scale). Level 8 is used for very able pupils and, for pupils who display exceptional performance, teachers may award a level 9.

Expectations for pupil performance in statutory teacher assessment have been raised. Most learners at the end of Key Stage 3 are now expected to achieve level 6 in English, Welsh and mathematics. Previously, they were expected to achieve level 5. This rise in expectations was introduced in line with the revised (2015) national curriculum programmes of study for English, Welsh and mathematics and the National Literacy and Numeracy Framework (LNF). It supports Welsh Government policy to raise standards across the school system and aims to better prepare pupils for the qualifications they will take at the end of Key Stage 4 and for future employment.

In undertaking statutory teacher assessment, all maintained schools must participate in ‘moderation cluster groups’. This aims to ensure reliability and consistency in statutory teacher assessment of pupil progress at the end of Key Stage 3 in English, Welsh (first and second language), mathematics and science. The groups consist of at least two schools, which are required to develop accurate and consistent standardisation of teacher assessment practices before teachers assess pupils’ work.

Headteachers submit the results of the statutory Key Stage 3 teacher assessments to the local authority, which then sends these to the Welsh Government.

Guidance on the end of Key Stage 3 assessment arrangements is provided in Statutory Assessment Arrangements for the Foundation Phase and End of Key Stages 2 and 3  (Welsh Government, 2018).

Assessment in Key Stage 4

At the end of Key Stage 4 (age 16), assessment is through external qualifications, primarily the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). These are single subject examinations which are important for student progression and for secondary school accountability under the National School Categorisation System.

The 14 to 19 Learning Pathways programme and the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification both aim to broaden the study and qualification options available for pupils in Key Stage 4 (and in post-16 education). For further information on the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification, see the subheading ‘Certification’ below. Further information on the Learning Pathways programme is provided under the subheading ‘Curriculum, subjects, number of Hours’ in the article on ‘Teaching and Learning in General Lower Secondary Education’.

Changes to the qualifications system for learners in secondary education have been introduced to take into account the increased emphasis on literacy and numeracy in education in Wales. This has resulted from the introduction of the National Literacy and Numeracy Framework (LNF); the drive to improve educational standards (following, for example, Wales’ performance in international surveys of pupil attainment); and the recommendations of the 2012 Review of Qualifications for 14- to 19-year-olds in Wales.

These changes have focused on streamlining and simplifying the system; strengthening qualifications; equipping young people with the essential skills for progression to employment or further / higher education; and meeting the particular educational, social and economic needs of Wales. They have resulted in the qualifications systems in Wales and England further diverging, not least through the establishment of Wales’ own regulatory body for qualifications; moves towards making the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification universally available in Key Stage 4; and changes to the National School Categorisation accountability system. See the subheading ‘Certification’ below for further information.

Pupil records and reports

Schools must provide parents / carers (or adult pupils) with a written progress report at least once each school year. This is required under The Head Teacher’s Report to Parents and Adult Pupils (Wales) Regulations 2011, as amended.

In Key Stage 3, the written progress report must include:

• the results of teacher assessment in the national curriculum subjects

• information on attainment in the statutory reading and numeracy tests

• a narrative report on literacy and numeracy based on the National Literacy and Numeracy Framework (LNF).

For pupils at the end of Key Stage 3, it should also include the results of statutory teacher assessment in terms of national curriculum levels (see ‘Assessment in Key Stage 3’ above).

In Key Stage 4, the report must include details of any entry to an approved qualification, along with information on progress towards the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification if appropriate. See the subheading ‘Certification’ below for further information on reporting the results of qualifications to pupils.

The results of GCSE qualifications and specified vocational qualifications are published online - by local authority and for the whole of Wales. Individual school results are not published online by the Welsh Government. Individual schools in Wales must, though, publish their results in GCSE examinations and in specified vocational qualifications in their school prospectus and in the governors’ annual report to parents. These publications must also include the results of the end of Key Stage 3 teacher assessment. They do not include individual pupil results. For further information, see ‘Chapter 6: Providing Information’ of the School Governors' Guide to the Law.

Assessment reform

Assessment Proposals to Inform the Development of Statutory Guidance, published by the Welsh Government in April 2019, sets out proposals to underpin assessment in the new Curriculum for Wales. The new curriculum, for 3- to 16-year-olds, is due to be implemented in all maintained schools in Wales from September 2022, and the core assessment proposals include:

• the passing of legislation to make statutory provision for formative assessment

• the publication of statutory guidance encouraging a focus on assessment for formative rather than summative purposes, i.e. to assess learner progress and inform next steps in teaching and learning  

• the assessment of student progress via ‘progression steps’, which will be reference points on a continuum of learning from age 3 to age 16. The progression steps will relate broadly to expectations at ages 5, 8, 11, 14 and 16, articulated through a series of achievement outcomes.

It is intended that the new assessment arrangements will be finalised and available in January 2020.

Progression of pupils/students

Progression of pupils from one class to the next is a matter of custom and practice, rather than a legal requirement. In practice, pupils almost always progress automatically to the next year.

Low attainment of individual pupils is addressed through differentiated teaching and the provision of additional support, rather than by repetition of a year. Academically gifted pupils are similarly supported by differentiated teaching and support.

Pupils are placed out of their age-related year group only in exceptional circumstances.

Certification

Qualifications offered to learners under the age of 19 must be approved or designated by Qualifications Wales, the regulator of general and vocational qualifications in Wales. This is required by the Qualifications Wales Act 2015.

Approved qualifications have met approval criteria that ensure that they meet the needs of learners in Wales.

Qualifications Wales may also designate a qualification as eligible for use on publicly-funded programmes of learning. For example, in subjects where there is no Wales-specific General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) available, a GCSE approved for use in England may be designated as eligible for use in Wales.

Both approved and designated qualifications are provided by recognised awarding organisations and are eligible for use on publicly-funded programmes of learning for those under the age of 19. Details of all approved or designated qualifications are contained within the Qualifications in Wales (QiW) database.

At the end of Key Stage 4 (age 16), students take qualifications that fall into three main groups:

• GCSEs (the main method of student assessment at this stage)

• non-GCSE technical and vocational qualifications

• Entry Level qualifications.

For some students at Key Stage 4 these qualifications sit under the overarching Welsh Baccalaureate framework.

The subheadings which follow provide further information.

General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE)

The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is the main method of student assessment in this phase of education. It is a single subject qualification typically taken at age 16 at the end of a two-year programme of study. GCSEs are available in a wide range of general / academic subjects and in some vocational / applied areas. Students typically take eight or more GCSEs in a range of subjects. A qualification is awarded for each subject.

GCSEs have undergone reform, with the aim of:

• making them more relevant to the needs of Welsh learners, employers and other stakeholders

• meeting the more demanding requirements for the teaching and learning of English, Welsh and mathematics introduced by the National Literacy and Numeracy Framework (LNF).

The first reformed GCSEs (in English, Welsh and mathematics) were introduced for first teaching in September 2015. The final tranche of revised qualifications was introduced in September 2017 (for examination in summer 2019).

The reformed GCSEs, which were developed for specific use in Wales (‘approved’ qualifications), have been developed by the WJEC awarding organisation in line with criteria set by Qualifications Wales.

Subject-specific criteria set out the knowledge, understanding, skills and assessment objectives for a given subject. Qualification-specific criteria relate to the development and accreditation of qualifications of a particular type. For revised GCSEs in Wales they are set out in Approval Criteria for GCSE Qualifications. Further information on general conditions of recognition, and qualification-specific and subject-specific principles which must be observed, is available from Qualifications Wales. Schools must also be approved and registered with an awarding organisation as a centre in order to conduct GCSE examinations.

Assessment methods

Assessment arrangements form part of individual qualification specifications; all available qualification specifications can be accessed via the Qualifications in Wales (QiW) database. Some GCSEs in Wales are linear; timed examinations, which are externally set and marked, are taken at the end of the two-year course. Others are modular GCSEs, for which examinations take place when modules have been completed.

Assessment is mainly by written examination. Other types of assessment are used only where they are needed to test specific skills. For example, for the GCSE in drama, some of the marks are allocated to performance tasks.

In some subjects, the final grade awarded is based partly on controlled assessment in addition to the examination. Controlled assessment is a form of internal assessment under teacher supervision.

Marking and grading

After students have taken their GCSE exams in May and June, their papers are marked by the awarding organisation’s examiners. Examiners are trained to mark to a required standard using a mark scheme and, once all exam papers have been marked, grade boundaries are set. Marks for approved GCSEs are reported differently than those for designated GCSEs.

Results for approved GCSEs (which are specific to Wales) are reported on an eight-point scale: A*, A, B, C, D, E, F and G (where A* is the highest available grade). Grade C and above are classed as ‘good’ grades and achieving at least a Grade C is an important influence on future pathway options available to students. Candidates who fail to reach the minimum standard for grade G are recorded as ‘U’ for ‘unclassified’ and do not receive a certificate.

Some GCSE subjects are examined by tier, that is, different examination papers are targeted at specific ability bands. For subjects where evidence suggests that it is possible to set questions in examination papers which can apply to the whole ability range, there is usually only one tier. For others, there may be two tiers of entry - a foundation tier covering grades G to C and a higher tier for grades D to A*. There are three tiers for approved GCSE maths qualifications in Wales - higher (grades A* – C), intermediate (grades B – E), and foundation (grades D – G).

In subjects where there are no approved GCSEs, students may take GCSEs designed for use in England, but designated for use in Wales. These GCSEs are graded 9 to 1 (where 9 is the highest available grade). A grade 5 is considered a ‘strong pass’; a grade 4 is considered a ‘standard pass’.

All awarding organisations must have awarding processes that meet Qualifications Wales’ requirements. Statistical indicators are used to produce predictions for GCSE standards each year. These are based on the prior attainment of a cohort (the group of students taking the exam in a given year), when compared with the performance of previous similar cohorts. Further information is available on the Qualifications Wales website.

Results and certificates

Awarding organisations release GCSE results to schools (centres) and candidates in late August. They are deemed to be provisional to allow any queries to be resolved before certificates are issued. Certificates are usually sent to schools within 10 weeks of publication of the results. They include the following information:

• date of the exam series (e.g. May/June 2019)

• awarding organisation

• centre

• student details

• qualification name and number

• grade awarded.

Technical and vocational qualifications

A range of non-GCSE technical and vocational qualifications is also available. Students may opt to study these alongside general (academic) and vocational / applied GCSEs in Key Stage 4 (ages 14 to 16).

All vocational qualifications in Wales have been classified using the European classification of Initial Vocational Education and Training (IVETs) and Continuing Vocational Education and Training (CVETs). Only IVETs are available for young people in Key Stage 4, ages 14-16. These provide an introduction to a sector or subject before young people progress to competency based qualifications.

A full list of the IVETS offered in Wales is available via the Qualifications in Wales database of approved qualifications.

Entry level qualifications

Entry Level qualifications are for learners working below the level of GCSEs and Level 1 vocational qualifications on the Credit and Qualifications Framework Wales (CQFW). They are available at Entry Level 1, Entry Level 2 and Entry Level 3, corresponding to levels 1, 2 and 3 of the national curriculum eight-level scale (see the subheading ‘Assessment in Key Stage 3’ above).

Entry Level qualifications are available in a range of national curriculum subjects; a range of life skills; and in practical or vocational areas. The Qualifications in Wales database lists all approved Entry Level qualifications.

The results of Entry Level 1, 2 and 3 qualifications are usually reported on a three-point scale which is broadly comparable to national curriculum levels 1, 2 and 3. Candidates who pass the qualification at each level receive a confirmatory certificate. Unsuccessful candidates receive a statement of results. Results are distributed by the examination centre.

Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification

The Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification (WBQ) is intended to help prepare students aged 14 to 19 for employment, further study and life. It is not a statutory requirement for schools to offer the WBQ, although they may choose to make it compulsory for their students, and the Welsh Government is encouraging universal adoption. The WBQ was first introduced in 2007, and a revised version in September 2015 following the 2012 review of qualifications in Wales.

The WBQ is awarded on the successful completion of a ‘Skills Challenge Certificate’ and supporting general / academic or vocational qualifications. It is awarded at three levels:

• Foundation (Level 1 of the Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales, CQFW) at Key Stage 4 (age 14-16) and post-16

• National (Level 2 of the CQFW) at Key Stage 4 and post-16

• Advanced (Level 3 of the CQFW) post-16 only.

The Skills Challenge aims to enable young people to develop and consolidate essential and employability skills in communication; numeracy; digital literacy; planning and organisation; creativity and innovation; critical thinking and problem solving; and personal effectiveness. To obtain the Skills Challenge Certificate, learners need to complete and pass four assessments:

• an individual project

• an enterprise and employability challenge

• a global citizenship challenge

• a community challenge.

The supporting qualification requirements for the Foundation or National WBQ in Key Stage 4 are:

• GCSE English language or GCSE Welsh language (grades A*-G for the Foundation WBQ, grades A*-C for the National WBQ)

• GCSE mathematics – numeracy (grades A*-G for the Foundation WBQ, Grades A*-C for the National WBQ)

• a minimum of three further GCSEs (at grades A*-G for the Foundation WBQ and at grades A*-C for the National WBQ) (two of these qualifications may be equivalent qualifications).

The Welsh Baccalaureate overall is graded Pass or Fail.

The Skills Challenge Certificate of the Welsh Baccalaureate is graded as follows:

• Foundation: Pass*, Pass and Fail

• National: A*, A, B, C and Fail.

Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification certificates are issued to examination centres in the autumn term after completion of the course. As with GCSEs (see the subheading above), provisional statements of results are provided to students in August. Final certificates show whether a student has passed or failed overall and provide his / her grades for each Skills Challenge and the individual project.

Further information on the WBQ is available from Qualifications Wales and the WJEC.

Article last reviewed April 2021.