Developing new GCSE, A level and AS qualifications for first teaching in 2016
FSC submission to Ofqual Consultation
September 2014
Please answer all questions marked with a star*
Name*
Estelle Robinson
Position*
Policy and Public Affairs Officer
Organisation name (if applicable)*
Field Studies Council (FSC)
Address
Preston Montford,
Montford Bridge
Shrewsbury
SY4 1HW
Email
Estelle@field-studies-council.org
Would you like us to treat your response as confidential?*
If you answer yes, we will not include your details in any list of people or organisations that
responded to the consultation.
( x) No
Is this a personal response or an official response on behalf of your organisation?*
( x) Official response (please answer the question ‘Type of responding organisation’)
If you ticked “Official response from an organisation/group”, please respond accordingly:
Type of responding organisation*
( x) Employer
( x) Other representative or interest group (please answer the question below)
___________________________________
Type of representative group or interest group
(x ) Other (please state below)
The Field Studies Council (FSC) is an education charity committed to bringing environmental
understanding to all. It currently welcomes 145,000 visitors every year on courses to its
national network of 18 Field Centres. These include groups from nearly 3,000 schools,
colleges and universities. Established in 1943, FSC has become internationally respected for
its national network of education centres and is the UK’s leading provider of curriculum
focused field courses.
FSC provides informative and enjoyable opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to
discover, explore, be inspired by, and understand the natural and built environment. We
believe that the more we know about the environment, the more we can appreciate its
needs and protect its diversity and beauty for future generations. We feel that fieldwork
should be a vital element of an imaginative and contemporary education.
www.field-studies-council.org
___________________________________
Nation*
( x) England
(x ) Wales
(x ) Northern Ireland
( x) Scotland
How did you find out about this consultation?
(x ) Our newsletter or another one of our communications
___________________________________
May we contact you for further information?
( x) Yes
1. Consultation questions
A level and AS qualifications in geography
Consultation Question 27: To what extent do you agree or disagree that AS qualifications
in geography should be assessed entirely by exam?
( x) Strongly disagree
Please give reasons for your answer.
FSC strongly disagrees with the proposal that AS level assessment in geography should be by
written examination only.
As the ALCAB report notes, there is unanimity across its stakeholders that fieldwork is an
essential component of geography. Its integral value is recognised by universities and
employers, and also by Ofqual and the Department for Education in the current
consultations.
Fieldwork's value needs to reflected in its assessment and the exclusion of non-exam
assessment of fieldwork at AS level undermines this central tenet. Given that there will be
no fieldwork non-exam assessment at GCSE level, it is all the more important that such a
component exists at AS level. FSC believes that the exclusion of a non-exam assessment at
AS would seriously impede students’ ability to progress from GCSE exam assessment of field
skills to an independent non-exam assessment at A level.
We reject the belief that including non-exam assessment at AS level will hinder the coteachability of AS and A level. FSC believes that several models of non-exam assessment
could add value to AS and enhance the teaching and learning for both students who
completed just the AS and provide progression to an independent investigation for A level
students. We suggest two models which could be employed here:
MODEL A – a non-exam assessment at AS level:
This model proposes that the awarding bodies produce a selection of fieldwork tasks which
test the skills relating particularly to AO3. The key concepts of the investigative or enquiry
process would be introduced in a controlled way to all candidates. Candidates would be
required to complete one fieldwork task and to submit marks for one task, which would be
internally marked according to an awarding body mark scheme. These could be carried out
under teacher supervision, allowing for students’ individual contributions to group data
collection. Candidates would not be able to repeat a task to improve their marks, but would
be able to attempt another different task and submit the best mark. These tasks could be
written to encompass all relevant aspects of the geography content at AS level.
This mid-stage approach between a structured GCSE fieldwork examined approach and an
independent investigation at A level would add value to ensure that AS level candidates
progress from GCSE rather than repeat work from GCSE. The AS level fieldwork could
provide a basic platform upon which A level candidates could build their A level individual
investigation; the AS task and the focus of the task would not be at the full depth needed for
the A level individual study thus ensuring a coherent progression. The non-exam assessment
of the AS fieldwork task would, however, ensure that fieldwork maintained its importance.
MODEL B – inclusion of fieldwork within the written examination:
An examined 1500 word (externally marked) abstract / summary of the fieldwork
experience which focuses on findings: analysis, conclusions and evaluation. This is in
addition to examined fieldwork and could be taken into the exam (like OCR used to do 10
years ago). This could be worth 25% of the total fieldwork marks for AS.
Consultation Question 28: To what extent do you agree or disagree that for A levels in
geography 80 per cent of the available marks should be allocated to exams, and 20 per
cent to non-exam assessment?
( x) Disagree
Please give reasons for your answer.
FSC welcomes the recognition that fieldwork is integral to the subject at this level of study
and skills are hard to demonstrate in a written exam.
We endorse the view that fieldwork should be assessed in a non-exam assessment at A level
and we welcome the independent study model proposed. We also support the proposal
that marks should be allocated to this assessment, that this mark should count towards the
final grade and assessment approaches should be subjected to regular review. However, FSC
believes that the allocation of final marks to fieldwork skills should (at least) fall within the
current range of 25-45% rather than 20% as proposed in the current consultation.
FSC supports the proposal to include non-exam assessment of fieldwork, with marks
allocated counting towards the final grade, and that marking and moderation should be
reviewed regularly.
FSC recommends that the proportion of marks for fieldwork skills should fall within the
range 25-35%, rather than the fixed 20% as proposed for new exams.
Consultation Question 29: To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposed
assessment objectives are appropriate for A level and AS qualifications in geography?
( x) Disagree
Please give reasons for your answer.
FSC questions the removal of the word ‘skills’ from AO3.
FSC recommends that “skills” are re-inserted into AO3 so that it becomes “Use a variety of
relevant method, skills and techniques.”
Consultation Question 30: To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposed
weightings of the assessment objectives are appropriate for AS qualifications in
geography?
(x) Disagree
Please give reasons for your answer.
FSC recommends that the weightings for AO3 in the AS level for geography should fall
within the range 25-45% as in current assessment objectives, rather than 20-30% as
proposed for new exams.
Consultation Question 31: To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposed
weightings of the assessment objectives are appropriate for A level geography?
(x ) Disagree
Please give reasons for your answer.
FSC recommends that the weightings for AO3 in the A level for geography should fall
within the range 25-45% as in current assessment objectives, rather than 20-30% as
proposed for new exams.
Consultation Question 32: Do you have any further comments relating to the assessment
of this subject?
FSC welcomes Ofqual’s strong endorsement of fieldwork within A level Geography. It is
disappointing, therefore, that Ofqual has not extended this to AS level.
FSC recommends that Ofqual includes fieldwork non-exam assessment to AS level to
ensure that fieldwork within AS level is on the same footing as fieldwork within A level.