Portfolio development
and assessment
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Who has an interest in the
portfolio?
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The learner
The personal tutor
The teacher/lecturer/trainer
The assessor
The internal verifier or internal moderator
The key skills coordinator
The standards moderator
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How are key skills assessed?
 In Wales, from Sept 2004, all six key skills are
assessed by:
 the completion of a portfolio of evidence
 In addition, the wider key skills also have a
requirement to ensure that the underpinning
knowledge (Part A) is assessed. Typically, this is
demonstrated by evidence of the assessor questioning
the candidate
 The QCA guidance on the wider key skills states that
the questions should be used flexibly
 Lists of questions have been produced by awarding
bodies. Refer to your awarding body for more guidance
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The portfolio
 This is a summative document containing
evidence that a candidate has met, in full, the
assessment criteria for Part B of the standards
at the appropriate level
 It must be clear that the evidence has been
assessed against the relevant assessment
criteria, with feedback to the candidate
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What is evidence?
 Key skills evidence can come from anywhere
in the learner’s life and experience and can be
generated:
 naturally – in the context of an assignment in their
main subject programme or activity in their everyday
lives
 in an assignment – which is designed specifically to
generate evidence but which must be purposeful in
terms of its wider context
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Sources of evidence
Duke of Edinburgh, Young
Enterprise, ASDAN, etc.
Portfolio
GNVQs
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What counts as evidence?
Evidence should be:
 purposeful – it should be generated as part of a
task that the learners had to carry out in the
context of another activity
 authentic – produced by the learner
 valid – must show what it claims to show
 sufficient – include all of the requirements
outlined in Part B
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The role of key skills
assignments
They may be used to:
 assist learning aspects of a key skill
 practise and apply a key skill
 provide evidence for a key skills portfolio
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Continuum model of skills
development
Acquiring

Teacher led
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Teacher guided

Demonstrating
Independent learner
What learners need to
know
What learners need to
do
What learners must be
able to demonstrate
Acquiring basic
techniques and
underpinning knowledge
Practising and building
skills
Application of skills in
different contexts
Assessed by external
tests
Internal, formative
assessment
Portfolio evidence,
internally assessed,
internally verified and
externally moderated
Relates to Part A of the
key skills standards
Relates to Part B of the key
skills standards
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The role of key skills
assignments
Assignments may:
 support naturally occurring activities within a
programme of study
 extend activities to include key skills within the
main programme of study
 provide opportunities where none exist
 provide back-up opportunities to complete
portfolio requirements
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The requirements for key
skills assignments
An assignment must:
 provide realistic/relevant opportunities to demonstrate
competence and understanding
 give the learner the opportunity to meet the standards
in Part B of the appropriate key skill standard(s)
 be pitched at the appropriate level
 be achievable in terms of time and resources available
 interest and motivate
 require varied responses
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Evidence requirements
Evidence:
 must show how the candidate has met each of
the assessment criteria – eg assessor records
 should include assignment brief, supporting
materials used, eg notes, OHTs, visual aids
 may include edited audio/video clips.
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Witness statements
Witness statements:
 useful as supporting evidence
 should not be sole form of evidence
 should contain date, name, signature of witness
 details of context in which observation took place
 should be checked by assessor for authenticity, validity
and sufficiency
 See QCA guidance on the wider key skills (pp 13, 14,
19, 87) for guidance on use of witness statements
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Electronic portfolios
Electronically produced work is acceptable, but:
 authentication by a supervisor or assessor is required
 authentication should include the assessor or
supervisor’s signature and date on each document
produced (usually on assessment front sheet).
 See QCA guidance on the wider key skills (pp 13, 14,
63, 69, 75, 81, 99) for guidance on use of electronic
evidence
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Level requirements
 The requirements of each level include those from the
preceding level
 It is imperative that all assessors consider Part A
requirements at the level of study being assessed and
at any lower level(s)
 When assessing, take a staged approach and:
 check the evidence against the relevant component
 check the evidence against the assessment criteria for that
component
 check for detail and level against Part A and the QCA guidance
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Key skills portfolios
The portfolio:
 should aim for quality, rather than quantity of
evidence – ideally, portfolios should be ‘slim
and clever’
 must meet all the assessment criteria for each
component – no cherry-picking
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Contents of a portfolio (1)
A portfolio should contain
 a front sheet/index showing where evidence
can be found
 the assessment sheets and records
 clear assignment briefs or tasks attached to
each piece of evidence
Cont…
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Contents of a portfolio (2)
 work that has been assessed against the
relevant key skills criteria
 evidence of feedback
 relevant source materials and records of
information obtained
 other documentation to support particular key
skills (eg witness statements for
Communication, plans for ICT and AoN,
working drafts for ICT).
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Successful portfolios
Successful portfolios:
 are consistent, coherent and accurate
 clearly indicate candidate ownership
 are well organised in a logical format
 have an index
 contain clearly annotated evidence that shows work
has been assessed against the key skills standards
and which also provides effective feedback to the
candidate on his/her performance
 contain evidence that is purposeful, authentic, valid
and sufficient.
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Ensuring consistent
standards
Key skills evidence must have been:
 assessed to national standards
 internally verified/moderated
 passed by external standards moderation
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Managing the assessment
process (1)
 Clear roles and responsibilities:
 who is doing what and by when?
 Induction:
 staff
 learners.
 Initial assessment to determine appropriate level.
 Mapping key skills opportunities within main
programmes.
 Tracking learner progress.
 Plugging gaps.
Cont…
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Managing the assessment
process (2)
 Quality assuring;
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teaching and learning
opportunities to develop and to practise skills
assignment briefs
formative/summative assessment
completion and submission of evidence
 Co-ordinating with the awarding body
 Being ready for standards moderation
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ACTIVITY 3 - Where are we
now?
Producing effective portfolios
 In pairs, work through the “Where are we
now?” sheet, discussing issues and formulating
your thoughts.
 Complete the action plan at the end of the grid:
What do you need to do now as a matter of
priority?
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Useful supporting
publications
 KSSP publications:
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Good practice guide: developing and managing portfolios
Good practice guide: writing assignments
Key skills resource manual
Key skills: a handbook for Coordinators
 KSSP website: www.keyskillssupport.net
 KSSPC website: www.keyskillssupport.net/cymru
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