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Data and Exams Officer:

Mrs C Partlett

GCSE and A Level Public Examinations Timetable 2022

GCSE Timetable 2022

A Level Timetable 2022

How is Nottingham Free School supporting students taking GCSE and A Level exams and non-exam assessments in 2022?

What is the current position regarding public GCSE and A Level exams?

• The government is clear that students entering GCSEs or A levels in 2022 should expect to take exams in the summer and complete any non-exam assessments in the usual way throughout the year.
• Grade boundaries for summer 2022 will be set so that more students than was the case before the pandemic receive higher grades, providing a safety net for students in this transitionary year.

What is our aim throughout this process?

• Our overriding aim is to keep students and parents/carers and staff informed, to support preparation for public examinations, or using a Teacher Assessed Grade (TAG) approach if public exams cannot go ahead.
• Nottingham Free School has been keen to stress that we don’t want to add to our students' workload, which is why any additional assessments should help our students prepare for public exams, and not create a distraction.

What additional support for students has been agreed by government?

• Students taking GCSEs in English literature, history, ancient history and geography will not need to cover the usual range of content in the exams – the exam boards have published information on their websites on how this will work for each of their specifications in these subjects. Students taking GCSEs in all other subjects will be given advance information about the focus of the content of the exams to support their revision
• Students taking A levels will be given advance information about the focus of the content of the exams to support their revision.
• The advance information for GCSE and A levels will be published no later than 7 February 2022.
• Students taking GCSE mathematics will be given in their exams copies of formulae they would in other years have to memorise
• Students taking GCSE physics and combined science will be given in their exams a sheet covering all the equations they might need to apply in the exams

What internal preparations are happening at Nottingham Free School, if a Teacher Assessed Grade approach is required?

Our staff always offer the following support, when internally assessing student progress:

• Our staff are collecting a breadth of evidence, to be able to make a judgement about the GCSE or A Level a student is working at.
• Whilst reiterating the message that public exams are planned to go ahead in summer 2022, our staff advise students in advance when an assessment would potentially be used as evidence towards a Teacher Assessed Grade.
• Students that are entitled to Access Arrangements or Reasonable Adjustments are always offered this support when completing assessments.
• Such assessments are taken under standard exam conditions. Non-exam assessmemts are completed as per exam board instructions.
• Assessments are substantial (a full, or approaching a full, exam paper).
• Assessments only cover topics that have been prepared for and can perform realistically.
• The assessment question(s) are not seen in advance.

If exams had to be cancelled in summer 2022, students’ grades would instead be determined by their teachers, using a Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs) approach similar to that used in summer 2021. What was Nottingham Free School's approach in 2021?

Please click the link below to read the Examinations Centre Policy 2021. An updated version of this policy would be published, if necessary, for 2022:

Examinations Centre Policy 2021

GCSE and A Level exam certificates are now available from school reception for collection.

Candidates must collect certificates themselves or have the person collecting their certificates on their behalf bring in a signed note to confirm consent and a form of photo ID (driving licence, passport etc). This includes current Sixth Form students.

You will be asked to sign and date a sheet to confirm your collection for our records, as well as inform us of your/the student's destination since you/they have left NFS. We also request that visitors wear a face covering when entering the building.

We do not post exam certificates due to GDPR, and certificates are only kept for three years after the certification date.

If you have since left the Nottingham are and can not feasibly collect your certificates, arrangements can be made to ensure you are able to receive them. Please contact Mrs Partlett via the school contact number or email address to discuss arrangements.

EXAMINATION DOCUMENTS

• Exam equipment list
• Warning to Candidates 2022
• Information for Candidates - Written Exams (JCQ)
• Information for Candidates - NEAs (JCQ)
• Information for Candidates - Coursework (JCQ)
• Information for Candidates - Social Media (JCQ)