Grading vocational and technical assessments

Research and analysis into grading vocational and technical assessments.

Ofqual has today (13 November 2018) published two reports that explore policies, principles and practices related to grading vocational and technical assessments. The work represents the first outputs from a programme of research designed to improve collective understanding of how grading is, and can be, accommodated in assessment approaches in technical and vocational education and training contexts.

The work notes that interest in the topic has increased in England, given the government’s policy to promote grading in vocational and technical qualifications and new Apprenticeships. Today’s reports do not offer recommendations in this space, but lay the foundations for further work.

The outcomes from an exploratory research project into grading practices within regulated Vocational and Technical Qualifications in England.

Documents

Overview: Grading Vocational and Technical Assessments

Ref: Ofqual/18/6441/1PDF, 159KB, 14 pages

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Grading Vocational and Technical Qualifications

Ref: 18/6441/3PDF, 799KB, 86 pages

Grading Competence-Based Assessments

Ref: Ofqual/18/6441/2PDF, 498KB, 45 pages

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Annexes: Grading Vocational and Technical Assessments

Ref: Ofqual/18/6441/4PDF, 4.77MB, 85 pages

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Glossary: Grading Vocational and Technical Assessments

Ref: Ofqual/18/6441/5PDF, 108KB, 7 pages

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Details

Grading vocational and technical assessments

The primary aim of this research was to provide insight into the variety of grading practices in operation in vocational and technical qualifications. The project also aimed to consider what issues might arise in relation to the different approaches; and these were divided into two categories – short-term technical issues, and longer-term conceptual ones.

Grading competence-based assessments

Although England has a tradition of grading in technical and vocational education and training contexts, there is no identifiable literature, from the UK, on this topic. To develop a deeper understanding of this area, attention needed to be focused further afield. This report explores insights from a small literature, derived mainly from Australia, into the theory and practice of grading competence-based assessments. These reflect a particular approach to designing vocational and technical qualifications, which has become increasingly widespread since the early 1990s.

Published 13 November 2018