Position for 2020 ‘community’ language exam candidates

Thank you for getting in touch regarding the particularly difficult position community language students have been placed in with the cancellation of summer 2020 GCSEs and A levels.

With the support of members of NRCSE’s board of trustees and Rene Koglbauer-Franklin, (Professor, Dean of Lifelong Learning & Professional Practice, Exec. Director @UniofNewcastle, and ALL Chair of Board of Trustees ), I have been trying to get clarity from Ofqual on what assessment evidence they would accept for students who are entering as independent candidates through their mainstream schools or, indeed, other examination centres.

I have been assured that Ofqual are aware of the issue and that the consultation they are doing is open to all language examination centres and to teachers and parents of candidates taking home/heritage languages which they are studying at supplementary/complementary school.

You can download the proposed arrangements here. This consultation will close on 29th April. If you would like to discuss your response please get in touch.

Please consider the following issues, and think about your position:

1. Assessments must be fair and standardised across all centres, yet:
   • There is currently no requirement for teachers in supplementary schools to have a Qualified Teacher status.
   • Many community teachers do have qualifications from their country of origin and some have UK QTS, but many do not.
2. Some important considerations where supplementary school settings will have to show how they meet the rigour expected in mainstream schools:
   • Does your setting offer mock exams? Some do, some don’t.
   • Do you have weekly, or at least termly, reporting of pupil progress?

Given the above points, there can not be a simple answer that would suit and satisfy ALL candidates who attend community-led out-of-school classes and enter in mainstream settings as independent candidates.

Have you written to the examination board and Ofqual directly, and have you had a personal response from either or both?

Where teachers have national teaching qualifications and where candidates have been registered to take their exams established community language examination centres (eg. Rustam for Persian, Polish Educational Society for Polish, BAPs for Gujarati, etc.) it may be possible to come to an agreement with Ofqual that teacher assessments should be accepted.

I would encourage you to pursue this and I am happy to support you with that.

Ofqual doesn’t regulate IGCSEs and several of the languages taught in supplementary/complementary schools are only available as IGCSEs. For these we need to look at the information on the awarding organisations’ own websites. For language IGCSEs awarded by Cambridge International here is the link to latest advice.

Please do get in touch with me if you would like further information and assistance.

Pascale Vassie OBE, Executive Director NRCSE