External Assessment
The EA process
Overview:
- Candidates must have completed at least two-thirds of their course before undertaking external assessment.
- Candidates must be Proficient in both External Assessment and Internal Assessment to receive the qualification.
External assessment is a required element of all fundable NQF qualifications accredited by the QCA. All of CPCAB’s external assessments implement the contemporary theme in assessment studies that assessment should also be designed to support learning. We have therefore designed all our external assessments to fit with, and add value to, the training course.
Summary of External Assessment Requirements
| Qualification | Nature of External Assessment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ICSK-L2 | Self Review | |
| CSK-L2 | CPCAB DVD and Feedback Paper | Under exam conditions |
| CSK-L3 | Case Review | 2,000 - 2,500 words |
| CST-L3 | CPCAB DVD and Feedback Paper | Under exam conditions |
| TC-L4 | Audio Tape and Review Paper | Under exam conditions |
| PC-L5 | Case Review | 3,000 - 3,500 words |
| CSU-L4 | Case Review | 2,500 - 3,000 words |
| TCSU-L6 | Case Review | 3,000 - 3,500 words |
EA practice DVDs:
Practice DVDs are provided for CSK-L2 and CST-L3.
Guidance to external assessment for all qualifications, together with mock papers (where appropriate), are available in the Tutor User Guides.
Arrangements for the external assessments taken under exam conditions:
The external assessments for CSK-L2, CST-L3 and TC-L4 must take place under controlled (invigilated) conditions during a time ‘window’ specified in advance by CPCAB. The time window is normally a one-week period in a particular month, although in the case of TC-L4 this is preceded by a three-week period for the production of the audio tape. Please see the relevant Tutor User Guide for details of specific external assessments. Invigilator Guide-Sheets are sent to the Centre’s exams officer and contain full details of the requirements for carrying out the external assessment.
Centres then forward the candidate’s work to CPCAB head office, where it is assessed by CPCAB’s team of external assessors. A team of moderators then moderates the external assessments.
Arrangements for the external assessments not taken under exam conditions:
For those qualifications where external assessment takes the form of Self Review or Case Review, candidates must complete the work towards the end of the course according to guidance from the tutor and in time for the date identified for external assessment on CPCAB’s Candidate Registration Form. Candidates do not have to complete this work under exam conditions and can refer to evidence from their portfolio, but both the candidate and the tutor are required to complete and return the cover sheet (found at the back of the relevant Candidate User Guide) confirming that it is the candidate’s own work. Further guidance can be found in the Tutor User Guides.
Equal Opportunities and Reasonable Adjustments:
CPCAB is committed to promoting widening participation and ensuring equality of opportunity in all aspects of its qualifications, from structure and design through to individual candidate assessment.
- Download CPCAB’s policy on Equal Opportunities for Assessment
- Download CPCAB’s Reasonable Adjustments Good Practice Guide
In order to make sure that assessment is fair to all learners, CPCAB requires all registered Centres to have an appropriate trainee support system in place and to make appropriate arrangements to meet individual assessment needs. It is important that the Centre (usually the course tutor) identifies individual learner assessment needs as early on in the course as possible.
In order to ensure that all candidates have equal access to external assessment, Centres can make arrangements for Reasonable Adjustments and Special Consideration.
Reasonable Adjustments are designed to meet individual assessment needs that reflect the kind of support that the Centre is already giving the candidate. Special Consideration is designed for candidates who face unexpected or unplanned difficulties related to the assessment.
All arrangements for Reasonable Adjustments and Special Consideration for external assessment must be recorded in accordance with statutory requirements. To ensure that this happens Centres are responsible for completing at least one of the CPCAB forms listed below for each candidate for whom such arrangements are made:
- Application for Reasonable Adjustments (Form CR3)– for those Adjustments requiring prior agreement from CPCAB.
- Notification of Reasonable Adjustments (Form CR3a) – for those Adjustments not requiring prior agreement from CPCAB.
Note that Centres can decide many kinds of Reasonable Adjustments without applying to CPCAB, but in ALL cases (including where form CR3 has been submitted and approved) a CR3a notification form must be completed and returned well before the external assessment date. - Application for Special Consideration (Form CR3b) – with regard to candidates who are unable to take assessment due to, for example, unexpected illness.
- Applications for Reasonable Adjustments requiring CPCAB approval must be submitted at least 8 weeks prior to the external assessment date (or 4 weeks with regard to ICSK-L2). Notification forms (CR3a) should be submitted as early as possible during the course and well before the external assessment date.
Both CPCAB and the Centre are required to recognise and comply with both the spirit and the word of equal opportunities legislation. This includes in particular: The Race Relations Act 1976, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and 1986, and the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995.
Marking schemes:
Marking schemes for all external assessments are included in the Tutor User Guides.
External Moderation:
External moderation is the process of checking that external assessment standards have been applied consistently between assessors and Centres and over time, making adjustments to results where required to compensate for any differences in standard that are encountered. Moderation is a type of quality control.
Within CPCAB, moderation involves an experienced External Assessor, who assesses the work of selected candidates in order to ensure that her/his assessment accords with the assessment of the original CPCAB External Assessor assigned to the candidate group in question.
EA results, enquiries, re-sits and appeals
External assessment results:
Soon after the external assessment process has completed, CPCAB sends to the Centre one of the following results for each candidate:
- Proficient – the candidate has achieved the minimum number of criteria for that particular external assessment.
- Not Proficient (a re-sit of the external assessment may be possible – see below.
- Absent – if evidence is provided that the candidate was absent for medical or other significant reasons (e.g. bereavement), then the candidate may arrange a subsequent first external assessment for no additional CPCAB fee.
- Left course – prior to the external assessment.
Enquiries about external assessment results:
CPCAB operates a clear policy of communicating only with Centres, not with individual candidates directly. All candidates with enquiries about external assessment results are therefore referred back to their Centre.
Tutors/coordinators can contact CPCAB with an enquiry about the external assessment results (after these have been sent to the Centre concerned), in which case a CPCAB counselling professional will access the papers for the relevant candidate group and offer limited verbal (telephone) feedback. There is currently no charge for this service, but enquirers will need to call the CPCAB reception desk (within 4 weeks of their Centre receiving the external assessment results) to arrange a suitable date/time for receiving the feedback.
On this basis Centres are helped to reach a decision about whether or not to lodge a formal appeal.
Registering Candidates for External Assessment Re-sits:
A Centre may register (for re-sits) candidates who have been assessed as Not Proficient (NP) in their first external assessment (EA). However, Centres are only permitted to register candidates who have been, or are predicted to be, assessed as Proficient in the internal assessment. This re-sit must take place at the next CPCAB specified EA date – in order to ensure the minimum gap between the original EA and the re-sit, together with efficient Centre and Awarding Body completion with candidates.
Candidates who are, in their re-sit EA, again assessed as Not Proficient are not recommended to undertake a second re-sit. There is no automatic entitlement to a second re-sit, but CPCAB will, at its discretion, make special arrangements for a second re-sit if (a) the candidate has been assessed as Proficient in the internal assessment and (b) the Centre provides CPCAB with an acceptable supporting explanation.
Please also note that a fee is charged for all re-sits (please contact CPCAB for details).