This guidance covers how grades will be calculated for International AS and A-level students who entered for units in cancelled exam series.
Updated November 2022
The coronavirus pandemic is a continually evolving situation. At OxfordAQA, we continue to monitor the situation and support our schools and students through this challenging time.
The information on this page is relevant to International AS and A-level series held since May/June 2022 (ie the information on this page also applies to the January 2023, May/June 2023 series and onwards). If you have any other questions that aren’t addressed below, please check our Exams Administration area. You can also email us at [email protected]
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OxfordAQA teachers and Exams Officers, we’ve created a guide to explain how the grading process for your students will work. This guide covers how grades will be calculated for International AS and A-level students who entered for units in cancelled exam series.
Glossary of key terms
Due to the pandemic, OxfordAQA cancelled all exams in the May/June 2020 and May/June 2021 exam series. Exams were also cancelled in the May/June 2022 exam series for a small number of schools that were closed by government mandate due to ongoing outbreaks of Covid-19.
A grade based on teacher judgement, awarded to students in an exam series that was cancelled due to the pandemic.
A uniform mark scale (UMS) result for an International AS or A2 exam (or NEA module). Students were awarded TAGs at subject level and not for individual units. so will not have received a UMS result for units entered in a cancelled exam series.
A UMS result for a unit entered in a cancelled exam series, based on the results in exams students actually sat. To generate these results, OxfordAQA uses JCQ’s established method for calculating missing marks.
This process is not unique to cancelled exam series and is the same process we follow when a student is absent from an exam for a legitimate reason in any series. Calculated marks may be used towards a student’s overall grade.
It is important to note that calculated marks are different to Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs), which are not used in the calculations to reach a students overall grade.
To determine a student’s final grade for a qualification from the units results. Completing this stage means that the certificate of the International AS or A-level qualification can be issued to a student.
Your questions answered
What entries are required for certificating International AS/A-levels?
In order to certificate for an AS or A-level, students must have been entered for the subject award and any remaining units that make up the subject-level qualification.
For example, to certificate for International AS Mathematics, a student would need to be entered for Unit P1 and Unit PSM1 and the AS subject award. To certificate for International A-level Mathematics, a student would also need to enter for Unit P2, along with an entry for either Unit S2 or unit M2 – and then enter for the A-level subject award.
Does a student who was entered for a unit in a cancelled exam series need to enter that unit again?
No. When the student certificates in the future, their unit entry result from the cancelled exam series will be calculated based on their performance in the unit exams they have taken. A student may decide to re-enter a unit in a future exam series if they feel that they would do better in an exam than a calculated mark based on their performance in units they have actually sat.
How will OxfordAQA calculate the unit result when the student certificates in the future?
When a student certificates for their subject award International AS or A-level in a future series, they will receive a calculated mark for each unit they entered in a cancelled exam series. We will use the same established method for calculating unit results that we follow when a student is absent from an exam for a legitimate reason in any exam series. This is the approach recommended by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) in England.
To produce their overall subject award, we will use the best result for that unit, whether that’s an exam result or a unit result that we have calculated. So, if a student sits an exam for a unit, and the result is lower than their calculated mark, we will use the calculated mark.
If a student certificated for their International AS with a teacher assessed grade in a cancelled exam series, and goes on to complete their International A-level in a future series, how will their overall A-level grade be awarded?
The results of AS units entered in the cancelled exam series will be calculated based on the student’s performance in the A2 units, or on their performance in AS units if they re-sit AS units in a future series.
What if a student entered for their International AS subject award in a cancelled exam series, and decides they want to sit the AS exams in a future exam series?
If a student certificated for their AS qualification in a cancelled exam series, they are allowed to sit AS exams in a future exam series. When the student certificates in a future series, we will calculate their AS unit results for the cancelled exam series and the best result – from either the calculated AS unit mark or the actual AS exam unit result – will count towards their overall A-level grade.
What if a student has already certificated for their International AS subject award, entered some of their A2 units in a cancelled exam series, and completes their A-level a future exam series?
The student can receive a final A-level grade in a future exam series if they have taken enough exams to certificate in the overall qualification. We will calculate the results for the A2 units entered in the cancelled exam series based on the A2 unit(s) the student has sat exams for.
What if a student, who had previously sat an exam, re-entered the unit in a cancelled exam series?
If a student re-entered in a cancelled exam series, the result for the unit will be calculated when the student certificates in their subject award in the future, based on the student’s performance in the units they have actually taken as exams.
How will OxfordAQA calculate an AS unit result if the student has not sat any other AS units?
Where possible, unit results are calculated from units at the same level. However, if the candidate has not sat any examinations for AS units, then it will not be possible to use the standard (z-score) method because there is a risk this will generate a lower calculated grade than if we used only the actual A2 mark the students achieved. The reason for this is that there are differences in the cohorts for AS and A2: A2 students are generally stronger overall as some weaker students tend to drop the subject after AS, and so the mean results for A2 are higher.
Therefore, in these cases we will use the proportional method to calculate the AS unit results. The proportional method looks at the marks (UMS expressed as a percentage) that a candidate has achieved and calculates an average mark that is then used for the missing unit. The proportional method is used by JCQ in cases where the z-score method is unreliable.
If a student has gone on to complete their A2 units, how will OxfordAQA calculate an AS unit result if the only other available AS unit results are from the same AS unit?
In this situation, it will not be possible to calculate an AS unit result from the same unit as the result would end up the same as previously awarded. The A2 unit performance will be used, but the standard (z-score) method because there is a risk this will generate a lower calculated grade than if we used only the actual A2 mark the students achieved. The reason for this is that there are differences in the cohorts for AS and A2: A2 students are generally stronger overall as some weaker students tend to drop the subject after AS, and so the mean results for A2 are higher.
We will use the proportional method to calculate these AS unit results. The proportional method looks at the marks (UMS expressed as a percentage) that a candidate has achieved and calculates an average mark that is then used for the missing unit. The proportional method is used by JCQ in cases where the z-score method is unreliable.
What if there were some optional units within the qualification?
Students must have entered for all compulsory units, plus the required number of optional units. For example, for International A-level Mathematics, students must have at some point been entered for MA01, MA02 and MA03 and either MA04 or MA05, to complete the course.
Will students be able to progress to university as normal?
Yes. As university and higher education offers are based on overall subject level results, TAGs from cancelled exam series will be recognised the same as in any other year, as will calculated grades, and students will be able to progress to higher education as normal.
If you have any further questions, please get in touch. You can email us at [email protected].
