GCE 2008 - Centre Guidance Document Level...accurately before the deadline to enable Edexcel to issue results on time. 3.2.6 For each candidate submit the final raw mark according

GCE 2008 - Centre Guidance Document

Instruct ions and administ rat ive document for submission

of student work: AS unit 3 and A2 unit 6

GCE Biology (6BI03, 6BI06)

GCE Chemistry (6CH03, 6CH06)

GCE Physics (6PH03, 6PH06)

Issue 1

November 2008

Contents Sect ion 1 : Int roduct ion page 2

Sect ion 2 : Ent ry codes page 2

Sect ion 3: Opt ion A: Cent re Assessed and Ext ernal ly moderat ed by Edexcel page 3

Sect ion 4: Opt ion B: Ext ernal ly Assessed by an Examiner Appoint ed by Edexcel page 6

Sect ion 5: Aut hent icat ion and Record Sheet s (opt ions A and B) page 7

Sect ion 6:Elect ronic Submissions (opt ions A and B) page 7

Sect ion 7: Final Result s and Moderat or Report s (E9) (opt ions A and B) page 8

Sect ion 8: Post -result s Services (opt ions A and B) page 9

Sect ion 9: Repeat ing t he Unit in a Fut ure Examinat ion Series (opt ions A and B) page 9

Sect ion 10: Int ernat ional Cent res (opt ions A and B) page 9

Appendix 1 (Edexcel Secure Content) page 10

Appendix 2 (GCE Biology) page 13

Appendix 3 (GCE Chemistry) page 15

Appendix 4 (GCE Physics) page 20

GCE2008 - Centre Guidance Document

Prepared by Richard Hammond · Aut horised by Cahit Al i · 01/ 09/ 2008 · Issue one

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Section 1: Introduction

1.1 This booklet relat es t o t he submission of st udent work for GCE AS unit 3 and A2 unit 6 in

t he fol lowing specif icat ions:

GCE Biology

GCE Chemist ry

GCE Physics

1.2 It provides guidance t o t eachers on t he administ rat ion and conduct of t he assessment of

t hese unit s. There are subj ect specif ic appendices out l ining furt her support and

guidance.

1.3 Exemplar mat erials for Biology and Physics, and assessment t asks for Chemist ry, are

available as secure document s on each subj ect page on t he Edexcel websit e at :

ht t p: / / www.edexcel.com

1.4 These sit es are accessed using a username and password. Please see Appendix 1 for more

det ails on how t o access t hese mat erials.

1.5 Advice on how t o assess and verif y t he “ general pract ical compet ence” (pract ical ski l ls)

can be found in t he relevant subj ect specif ic appendix.

Section 2: Entry Codes

2.1 Cent res are reminded t hat Unit s 3 and 6 can be cent re assessed by t eachers and

moderat ed by Edexcel, or ext ernal ly assessed by Edexcel examiners. Cent res are

t herefore advised t o check t he Informat ion Manual for det ails of t he appropriat e ent ry

codes.

2.2 Opt ion code A is t he ent ry opt ion code for cent re assessed and ext ernal ly moderat ed by

Edexcel.

2.3 Opt ion code B is t he ext ernal ly assessed ent ry opt ion code.



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Section 3: Option A - Centre Assessed and Externally Moderated by Edexcel 3.1 Internal Moderation and Standardisation for Centre Assessed work 3.1.1 Before work can be assessed in t he cent re, i t is import ant t hat al l t eachers involved in

t he process are ful ly famil iar wit h t he assessment met hodology. Guidance for appl icat ion

of t he assessment crit eria is publ ished on t he subj ect specif ic secure websit es.

3.1.2 Al l work must be int ernal ly st andardised across t he dif ferent t eachers assessing t he

mat erial and t he dif ferent t eaching groups del ivering t he unit .

3.1.3 Teachers must indicat e in t he t ext where marks have been awarded in relat ion t o t he

crit eria def ined in t he specif icat ion. Where appropriat e, t eachers must also indicat e

where marks have been awarded for qual it y of writ t en communicat ion.

3.1.4 When st andardising assessment , t he Head of Depart ment or t eacher responsible, should

ensure t hat t he int ernal moderat ion process covers t he assessment decisions of al l

t eachers in t he depart ment . Samples of work across al l available grade boundaries must

be int ernal ly assessed, and made available for ext ernal moderat ion.

3.2 Mark Submission for Centre Assessed Work 3.2.1 Cent re marks can be submit t ed via Edexcel Onl ine, OPTEMS or EDI.

3.2.2 For al l up t o dat e deadl ines please refer t o t he Key Dat es sect ion of t he Informat ion

Manual and Not es sect ion of t he t imet able.

3.2.3 It is t he cent re’ s responsibil i t y t o ensure t hat marks are submit t ed by t he deadl ine, are

accurat e, and are in t he appropriat e format / scale.

3.2.4 Bot h Edexcel Onl ine and OPTEMS wil l be available for mark submission t hree weeks prior

t o t he publ ished mark submission deadl ine dat e.

3.2.5 It is essent ial t hat Edexcel Onl ine mark submission forms and OPTEMS are complet ed

accurat ely before t he deadl ine t o enable Edexcel t o issue result s on t ime.

3.2.6 For each candidat e submit t he f inal raw mark according t o t he relevant scale in t he

specif icat ion. Not e t hat Uniform Mark Scores (UMS) should not be submit t ed.

3.2.7 For Edexcel Onl ine mark submission, regist ered users should log on and navigat e t o t he

mark ent ry screen. Navigat e t o t he screen by select ing t he appropriat e qual if icat ion f rom

t he t abs at t he t op of t he window, t hen select “ Search by Course” f rom t he “ Candidat es”

menu opt ion. Select t he Course and Session f rom t he drop down menus, t hen cl ick

“ Next . ” Select t he “ Papers” l ink next t o t he unit for which you wish t o submit marks,

t hen t he “ Coursework Marks” l ink t o navigat e t o t he mark ent ry screen.

3.2.8 On t he Edexcel Onl ine mark submission screen, you may ent er some or al l candidat es in a

session. Key a mark for each candidat e in t he mark f ield beside each candidat e. Once t he

“ Submit Marks” but t on at t he bot t om of t he screen is select ed and conf irmed, it wil l not

be possible t o amend a candidat e’ s mark, where it has been keyed, however it wil l be



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possible t o view it . Candidat es for whom a mark has not been keyed wil l remain available

t o ent er a mark in subsequent Edexcel Onl ine sessions.

3.2.9 A score of zero should only be used if a candidat e has submit t ed work t hat is found t o

meet none of t he assessment crit eria.

3.2.10 An ‘ X’ should be ent ered for any candidat e who is absent , wit hdrawn or has fai led t o

submit any work, even if Special Considerat ion or an aegrot at award has been request ed.

3.2.11 Should you wish t o submit marks via EDI please refer t o det ailed document at ion relevant

t o t hat met hod. You wil l st i l l need t o refer t o Edexcel Onl ine in order t o ident if y your

sample.

3.3 Centre Marks Amendments and Late Returns of Centre Assessed Work 3.3.1 If a cent re mark t hat has already been submit t ed requires amendment , please cont act

Edexcel Cust omer Services on 0844 576 0025, st at ing cent re, subj ect , paper and

candidat e det ails, along wit h t he amended mark. A val id reason for t he amendment must

be provided. The lat e submission of addit ional work is not regarded as a val id reason.

3.3.2 Amendment s can also be emailed t o [email protected] but t hese must come

f rom an of f icial cent re email address. Edexcel cannot accept amendment s f rom personal

account s (hot mail , yahoo et c). Emailed amendment s must also det ail val id reasons, as

described above.

3.3.3 If cent res at t empt t o ret urn marks af t er t he deadl ine, t hese ret urns wil l be f lagged, and

Edexcel wil l not guarant ee t he publ icat ion of result s on t ime.

3.3.4 We st rongly recommend t hat , where lat e or incorrect ret urns have been made, cent res

should warn candidat es t hat t heir result s may be lat e. This is part icularly import ant

where progress t o higher educat ion is at st ake, so t hat negot iat ions can t ake place wit h

admissions aut horit ies.

3.4 External Moderation 3.4.1 The purpose of ext ernal moderat ion is t o det ermine, t hrough t he re-assessment of a

sample of candidat es’ work, whet her cent res are assessing accurat ely and consist ent ly,

t o agreed nat ional st andards.

3.4.2 Moderat ion is concerned solely wit h j udging t he qual it y of cent res’ assessment decisions

t hrough t he ext ernal moderat ion of cent re assessed work. It does not ext end t o t he

provision of support and guidance t o cent re st af f . The process wil l inevit ably involve

impl icit support and guidance, t hrough t he generat ion of feedback report s (E9), when

result s are publ ished.

3.4.3 All ext ernal moderat ion is carried out by post .

3.4.4 Sampled candidat es are indicat ed by a t ick on Edexcel Onl ine, or an ast erisk on t he

OPTEMS. If you are submit t ing marks using EDI you must check eit her Edexcel Onl ine or

your OPTEMS for det ails of your sample.

3.4.5 If t he sample indicat ed onl ine does not include t he candidat e wit h t he highest mark or



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t he candidat e wit h t he lowest mark above zero, t hese should also be included.

3.4.6 If any of t he candidat es ident if ied as part of t he sample have been wit hdrawn or are

absent (marked by an X), you must manual ly subst it ut e appropriat e candidat e(s) for

t hem.

3.4.7 If you are manual ly select ing for any reason, you should ensure a set of candidat es across

t he abil i t y range is provided.

3.4.8 The package of sampled work should include t he fol lowing informat ion: unit number,

exam series, cent re number, cent re name, cent re cont act name including t elephone

number and email cont act det ails. If t here are any problems wit h t he sample received,

t he moderat or wil l seek t o cont act t he named person at t he cent re via email or

t elephone using t hese det ails.

3.4.9 A cert if icat e of post age should be ret ained. In addit ion t o t he moderat or name and

address det ails please label t he envelope wit h your cent re number and t he unit number

being sent as a sample.

3.4.10 The secure and on t ime del ivery of t he cent re’ s sample t o t he moderat or is primari ly t he

responsibil i t y of t he cent re.

3.4.11 Moderat or det ails are accessible on Edexcel Onl ine by fol lowing t he st eps for input t ing

cent re marks (see Sect ion 3.2.7) and select ing “ Assessment Associat es” , or are print ed on

t he bot t om of your OPTEMS.

3.4.12 Please check t he moderat or det ails for each unit ent ered. Alt hough you may be

al locat ed t he same moderat or for several unit s, t his wil l not always be t he case and it is

vit al t o send t he appropriat e mat erial t o t he correct moderat or.

3.4.13 Please not e t hat , i f you have candidat es for bot h t he cent re assessed and t he ext ernal ly

assessed ent ry opt ions, your candidat es’ work may be al locat ed t o dif ferent moderat ors

or examiners for each ent ry opt ion.

3.5 Candidates who Transfer Centres

3.5.1 Candidat es who st art t he Edexcel specif icat ion wit h one cent re may be in t he posit ion of

needing t o t ransfer t o a dif ferent cent re. However, t ransferred work for which marks

have not already been submit t ed t o Edexcel must be re-assessed by t he new cent re and

are subj ect t o normal int ernal moderat ion procedures wit hin t he cent re.



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Section 4: Option B - Externally Assessed by an Examiner Appointed by Edexcel

4.1 External Assessment of Candidates’ Work

4.1.1 The package of candidat es’ work should be label led wit h t he fol lowing informat ion:

• cent re number and name;

• examinat ion series and unit number;

• cent re cont act name including phone number and email cont act det ails.

If t here are any problems wit h t he package received, t he examiner wil l need t o cont act

t he named person at t he cent re via email or phone using t hese det ails.

4.1.2 The secure and on t ime del ivery of t he cent re’ s work t o t he examiner is primari ly t he

responsibil i t y of t he cent re. It is recommended t hat a t rack and t race met hod of post ing

is used and a cert if icat e of post age ret ained by t he cent re.

4.1.3 Cent res which opt for t he ext ernal ly marked coursework opt ion wil l not receive OPTEMS.

Inst ead an at t endance regist er wil l be provided which should be complet ed in t he normal

way. The at t endance regist er carr ies t he examiner’ s address det ails.

4.1.4 Examiner det ails are also accessible on Edexcel Onl ine. Please ensure t hat t he work is

post ed t o arrive wit h t he examiner by t he submission dat e. The name and address of t he

examiner assigned t o your cent re can be found at t he bot t om of t he at t endance regist er

for your candidat es. It can also be found on Edexcel Onl ine.

4.1.5 Please not e t hat , i f you have candidat es for bot h t he cent re assessed and t he ext ernal ly

assessed ent ry opt ions, your candidat es’ work may be al locat ed t o dif ferent moderat ors

or examiners for each ent ry opt ion.

4.2 Submission of Externally Assessed Work

4.2.1 Cent res which opt for t he ext ernal ly assessed coursework must submit t he work t o t he

examiner by t he normal GCE coursework submission dat e. This is usual ly 15 May of each

year but cent res should refer t o t he Key Dat es sect ion of t he Edexcel Informat ion Manual

or t he Not es sect ion of t he publ ished t imet able for conf irmat ion.



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Section 5: Authentication and Record Sheets (options A and B)

5.1 In accordance wit h a revision t o t he 2006 Code of Pract ice, any candidat e unable t o

provide an aut hent icat ion st at ement wil l receive zero credit for t he component .

Therefore, cent res must remind al l candidat es t o sign an aut hent icat ion st at ement .

5.2 Aut hent icat ion st at ement s relat ing t o cent re assessed work not submit t ed for moderat ion

should be kept securely wit hin cent res. Those which relat e t o candidat es select ed as part

of t he sample for moderat ion, or for ext ernal ly assessed work, must be at t ached t o t he

work and sent t o t he moderat or or examiner respect ively.

5.3 The record sheet s for t he AS and A2 unit s can be found on t he respect ive subj ect page on

t he Edexcel websit e at : ht t p: / / www.edexcel.com.

They are also indexed in t he relevant subj ect specif ic appendix. Cent res are not permit t ed t o design t heir own version of t he record sheet s.

5.4 A record sheet must be complet ed for each candidat e whet her t he work is cent re

assessed or ext ernal ly marked by Edexcel.

Section 6: Electronic Submissions (options A and B)

6.1 If you are submit t ing work t o be ext ernal ly assessed by Edexcel, t hen you must submit

t he work as hard copy. In t he case of Biology and Physics, t he work should be word-

processed.

6.2 If you are submit t ing work t o be moderat ed by Edexcel, t his work may be submit t ed on

CD, rat her t han as hard copy. Det ailed inst ruct ions for submit t ing work on CD can be

found in t he relevant subj ect -specif ic appendix.

6.3 Where work is being submit t ed elect ronical ly, t he work of t he sampled candidat es should

be burnt t o CD+/-R only. DVD+/ -R or any ot her dat a st orage devices are not accept able

format s for t he del ivery of samples.

6.4 It is import ant t hat work submit t ed is in a format which is universal ly readable.

Document s saved using Word 2007 version are not readable on earl ier Word versions.

Cent res are t herefore asked not t o save document s t o CD in Word 2007 format . Please

fol low one of t hese 2 met hods:

1. Use t he “ Save As” feat ure in Word 2007 t o save t he document s in a readable format

OR

2. Convert t he document int o an Adobe PDF f i le

6.5 You should submit one CD per unit for moderat ion purposes.

6.6 For each CD, a separat e folder on t he t op-most level of t he folder t ree should be creat ed

for each of t he sampled candidat es. Each folder should be named according t o t he

fol lowing naming convent ion: [cent re #]_[candidat e #]_[ f irst t wo let t ers of

surname]_[ f irst let t er of f irst name] . For example, John Smit h wit h candidat e number

9876 at cent re 12345 would have his work in a folder t i t led, “ 12345_9876_SM_J”

6.7 Two CDs should be burnt ; t he mast er copy must be held securely at t he cent re and t he



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ot her copy sent t o t he moderat or. The mast er copy should be ret ained securely by t he

cent re unt i l af t er t he deadl ine for EAR appl icat ions has expired. (This is approximat ely

one mont h af t er t he issue of result s. )

6.8 Prior t o sending t he CD t o t he moderat or, i t should be t est ed t o ensure t hat i t funct ions

as expect ed. Ideal ly t he CD should be t est ed on a PC which is not on t he cent re’ s own

net work. This wil l avoid delays in moderat ion (and pot ent ial delays in t he issue of result s)

due t o a fault y or incorrect ly format t ed CD.

6.9 The CD it sel f should be label led wit h t he fol lowing informat ion: unit number, cent re

number, cent re name, cent re cont act name including t elephone number and email

cont act det ails. If t here are any problems wit h t he CD t he moderat or receives, s/ he wil l

cont act t he named person at t he cent re via email or phone. If a st icker is used t o label

t he CD, it should not int erfere wit h t he ordinary funct ioning of t he CD. An indel ible

marker pen may be used t o label t he CD.

6.10 Work submit t ed on CD wil l not be ret urned t o cent res as it is t reat ed as a copy of t he

original CD, which remains in t he possession of t he cent re.

Section 7: Final Results and Moderator Reports (E9) (options A and B)

7.1 Cent res who have submit t ed work for ext ernal moderat ion wil l receive feedback f rom

t heir moderat or. If work is submit t ed t o Edexcel for ext ernal assessment , i t is l ikely t hat

t he feedback received wil l be in a generic Examiners’ Report , not via individual cent re

feedback. Please, see t he subj ect -specif ic appendices for furt her det ails.

7.2 Feedback report s wil l be available t o cent res t o download f rom Edexcel Onl ine af t er t he

publ icat ion of result s. The report wil l be det ailed only for unit s t hat are deemed t o be

out of t olerance.

7.3 Where candidat es’ work is submit t ed for ext ernal moderat ion, t here is a degree of

t olerance al lowed bet ween t he cent re awarded marks and t he moderat or awarded

marks. If t he cent re’ s assessment fal ls wit hin t his t olerance l imit , no adj ust ment wil l be

made t o cent re submit t ed marks. If t he cent re’ s assessment is out of t olerance, an

adj ust ment may be made t o t he marks of some, or al l , of t he candidat es ent ered for t hat

unit .

7.4 Where t he moderat or ident if ies t hat t he st andards appl ied by t he cent re are eit her t oo

severe or t oo lenient , compared wit h t he nat ional st andards, but t hat t he work is st i l l

wit hin t he t olerances al lowed, addit ional feedback may also be given t o t he cent re.

7.5 The f inal marks for cent re assessed work, are generat ed t hrough a st at ist ical regression

procedure, whereby cent re awarded marks are compared wit h moderat or awarded

marks. This f inal result is t hen convert ed t o an overal l UMS for t he relevant unit .

7.6 The coursework unit s are subj ect t o an Awarding process, and t herefore grade boundaries

may shif t f rom one examinat ion series t o anot her.



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Section 8: Post-Results Services (options A and B) 8.1 Cent res should refer t o t he Informat ion Manual for det ails of Enquiries About Result s

(EAR) services.

8.2 Option A

Cent re assessed work which has been submit t ed for moderat ion is ret urned t o cent res

aut omat ical ly, except if ret ained for archive. Cent res wil l be not if ied i f t his is t he case.

8.3 Option B If coursework is submit t ed t o Edexcel for ext ernal assessment , t he work is not aut omat ical ly ret urned. However t he work may be request ed t hrough t he Access t o

Script s (ATS) services. Please see det ails of t his service in t he Informat ion Manual .

Section 9: Repeating the Unit in a Future Examination Series (options A and B)

9.1 Please see t he guidance in t he subj ect specif ic appendices.

Section 10: International Centres (options A and B)

10.1 Teaching Inst it ut ions may t ake eit her Opt ion A or Opt ion B in t erms of assessing st udent

work, or st udent s may be ent ered for t he writ t en al t ernat ive t o coursework.

10.2 Written Alternative to Coursework

10.2.1 Al l Int ernat ional cent res – bot h ‘ Teaching Inst it ut ions’ and ‘ Privat e Cent res’ may t ake t he

writ t en al t ernat ive t o coursework opt ion. Cent res classif ied as ‘ Privat e Cent res’ which

are not al lowed t o t ake coursework must t ake t his writ t en al t ernat ive opt ion.

Informat ion about t he writ t en al t ernat ive papers is available on t he Edexcel subj ect

websit e pages.

10.2.2 UK cent res or Home cent res overseas (e.g. Forces’ schools) cannot t ake t he writ t en

al t ernat ive under any circumst ances – t his is only available t o Int ernat ional cent res.



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Appendix 1 : Edexcel Secure Content A quick guide for teachers and examinations officers What is secure content?

‘ Secure cont ent ’ is t he phrase we use for any document or page on t he websit e t o which access

is rest rict ed. In order t o access secure cont ent , f i l l out and submit an onl ine intention to offer

form or send t he complet ed form by fax and t hen obt ain a username and password f rom your

examinat ions of f icer/ Edexcel onl ine administ rat or. Please not e t hat i f you send or fax your

form, it wil l t ake 10 working days before you wil l be able t o access secure cont ent . Al l secure

cont ent is recognisable by t he fol lowing icon ◊

What to do if you do not have a username and password

To access secure cont ent , you need an Edexcel username and password. An account can be

creat ed for you by anyone at your cent re who has t he required access wit hin Edexcel Onl ine t o

creat e new account s, normal ly your examinat ions of f icer.

Occasional ly, t here have been incidences of administ rat ors or exams of f icers refusing t o regist er

t eachers. This should not happen as t he user does not need any EOL access prof i les t o get secure

cont ent , j ust a username and password.

What to do if you are having username/password problems

If t he screen says "inval id username/ password" warning when you t ry t o login, i t could be t hat

t he password is being t yped incorrect ly. It is case sensit ive, so let t ers must be t yped in as you

received t hem in your original welcome email . If your password was in capit als, t hen t ype in

capit als and vice versa.

If you t ype in t he incorrect password 3 t imes, t his wil l cause your account t o become locked. A

locked account cannot be accessed, even if you t hen t ype t he det ails correct ly. It remains

locked for one hour t hen opens again.

If you have forgot t en your password, you can regenerat e your password at any point by cl icking

on t he 'Forgot t en your password?' l ink eit her on t he Edexcel onl ine login page, or on t he main

websit e.

Your username and password are recognised, but you are not authorised to access secure content

This means t hat you have not t old Edexcel t hat your school is int ending t o of fer GCE Biology, Chemist ry or Physics. If you would l ike t o access secure cont ent for t hese qual if icat ions and have

already obt ained your username and password, you wil l need t o inform us of your int ent ion in

one of t he fol lowing ways:

1. Fil l out t he onl ine intention to offer form

OR

2. Fil l out and fax back an int ent ion t o of fer form



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How do I register a new Edexcel Online user?

To regist er someone for Edexcel Onl ine, t he examinat ions of f icer wil l need t o access t he ‘ New

Account ’ opt ion wit hin t he Cent re Account s menu on t he home page. You wil l need t o supply

t heir personal det ails including a unique email address which wil l become t heir username. We

wil l need t o verify t he user as belonging t o your cent re only — you do not need t o give t hem

access t o a user prof i le t o enable t hem t o access secure cont ent .

How does Edexcel determine whether I should be allowed to access secure content?

We wil l use your username and password t o ident ify your cent re number. We wil l check if your

cent re has indicat ed t o us t hat you int end t o of fer t he qual i f icat ion in t he fut ure. If so, you wil l

be grant ed access t o t he cont ent .

How do I view secure content for a specific qualification that I intend to run?

If you cl ick t o access t he cont ent t hat you wish t o view, you wil l be present ed wit h a dialogue

screen requiring you t o log on t o access t he secure cont ent .



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For more information, go to www.edexcel.org.uk/securecontent



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Appendix 2 - GCE BIOLOGY Assessing the “Verification of Practical Skills” element of Unit 3

For Unit 3, cent res are required t o verify t hat candidat es have achieved compet ence in various

areas of pract ical work. Det ails of t he crit eria t o assess can be found on page 77 of t he

specif icat ion document (Issue 3).

Record Sheets Cent res are reminded t hat t hey should be undert aking pract ical work t hroughout t he course and

making sure t hat t heir candidat es are covering t he core pract ical ski l ls l ist ed in t he

specif icat ion. This informat ion should be recorded on t he record sheet found on t he GCE 2008

Biology page of t he Edexcel websit e. This form also serves as a handy checkl ist for t he core

pract icals on t he specif icat ion. No marks need t o be assigned t o t he verif icat ion process –

t eachers simply complet e t he dat e on which t he pract ical was done and t ick t he relevant boxes

for any skil ls shown by t he candidat es. The record form must be signed by t he candidat e and t he

t eacher and should be ret urned t o Edexcel wit h t he Visit -Issue report s.

Cent res are not permit t ed t o design t heir own version of t he record sheet s.

Cent res do not have t o submit any pract ical work t o Edexcel, unless specif ical ly request ed so t o

do.

Conditions under which coursework should take place Cent res are reminded t hat t he work submit t ed should be t hat of t he candidat e ALONE. Alt hough

t here may be some except ions (an invest igat ion where ‘ pool ing’ of candidat es’ dat a may be

essent ial due t o t he nat ure of t he invest igat ion), i t is a requirement t hat each candidat e should

measure or col lect unique dat a and process any dat a individual ly. Guidance should be sought

(using t he Ask The Expert service) if a cent re bel ieves t hat any form of group working is l ikely t o

occur.

Cent res are also reminded t hat any assist ance given t o candidat es should be recorded so t hat

marks can be adj ust ed accordingly.

Word Count Please not e t hat t here is a recommended word count for t he Visit -Issue Report for Unit 3 and for

t he Individual Invest igat ion in Unit 6.

For Unit 3, report s should be bet ween 1500 and 2000 words in lengt h. For Unit 6, report s should

be approximat ely 3000 words in lengt h.

Candidat es are st rongly recommended t o fol low t hese guidel ines as longer proj ect s t end t o lose

direct ion and hence, marks.

Consultancy Service There is a consult ancy service available t o al low cent res t o submit t heir coursework t o a

Principal Moderat or for advice and comment . This service is available t o cent res ent ering

candidat es for bot h t he cent re assessed opt ion and t he ext ernal ly assessed opt ion. Det ails of t he

service are available on t he Biology GCE 2008 homepage.



13

Please not e t hat t his service is designed t o give guidance on t he st rengt hs and weaknesses of t he

work submit t ed, and is not int ended for t he marking or re-marking of candidat es’ work.

E9 Feedback Reports It is our int ent ion t o provide individual feedback in Biology for cent res who have submit t ed work

t o be ext ernal ly assessed by Edexcel. However, t his feedback is not guarant eed; a generic

Examiners’ Report wil l also be publ ished in order t o provide feedback t o cent res.

For cent res using t he cent re-assessed opt ion, a moderat or’ s report wil l be available on Edexcel

Onl ine af t er t he publ icat ion of resul t s.

Repeating the Unit Candidat es may decide t o re-sit Unit 3 or Unit 6. For Unit 3, i t is not necessary t o go an anot her

Visit : a candidat e should be able t o rewrit e t he work based on t he original Visit , or using t he

original Issue. In Unit 6, t he bulk of t he marks are for “ Research and Rat ionale” , “ Planning” and

“ Observing and Recording” . It is most l ikely, t herefore, t hat a candidat e wishing t o re-sit wil l

undert ake a new piece of pract ical work or f ieldwork.

Electronic Submission The fol lowing t able shows whet her work may be submit t ed elect ronical ly.

Unit code Option code Option CD submission?

6BI03 A cent re assessed Yes

6BI03 B ext ernal ly assessed No

6BI06 A cent re assessed Yes

6BI06 B ext ernal ly assessed No

Please not e t hat work submit t ed for ext ernal marking (i.e. by Edexcel) must be word-processed

and submit t ed as hard copy.

Please not e t hat work submit t ed for ext ernal assessment (Opt ion B) is not aut omat ical ly

ret urned t o cent res (see Sect ion 8 of t his document ). Cent res are st rongly advised t o keep a

copy of any work submit t ed for ext ernal assessment , eit her on CD or as hard copy.



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Appendix 3 GCE CHEMISTRY Candidate Profile (options A and B)

A t ask is a piece of assessed pract ical work. The candidat e prof i le is def ined as t he t asks t hat

have been select ed t o count t owards t he f inal mark (out of 40) for t he candidat e.

Activity a: General Practical Competence (GPC) This act ivit y wil l conf irm t hat candidat es have complet ed a range of pract ical work over t he year

and developed t heir laborat ory skil ls. Candidat es must have carried out at least f ive pract icals t o

verify t his. The f ive pract icals must cover t he t hree areas of chemist ry: inorganic, organic and

physical . The core pract ical codes (or t i t les) of t he experiment s used t o verif y t he GPC and t he

dat e t hat each pract ical was carried out should be recorded in t he appropriat e place on t he

record sheet : a mark is not required. This verif icat ion is t he only evidence needed by t he

moderat or/ examiner for t his act ivit y.

Activity b: Qualitative observations The act ivit y b t asks wil l change on an annual basis. Each candidat e’ s prof i le must include an

act ivit y b t ask which is approved for use in the year that the Centre submits the coursework

for moderat ion/ ext ernal assessment . It is not permissible t o submit a candidat e prof i le eit her

for ext ernal assessment or moderat ion t hat includes an act ivit y b t ask which was approved for

use in a previous year.

To meet t he specif icat ion requirement s each candidat e prof i le must sat isfy t he fol lowing:

AS (6CH03) Candidate Profile

Activity No. of practicals/tasks

Total Marks Comments

a GPC f ive verif icat ion Must include experiment s

on each of t he areas of

inorganic, organic and

physical

b Qual it at ive observat ion* one 14

c Quant it at ive measurement one 14

d Preparat ion one 12

Must include experiment s

on at least two of t he areas

of inorganic, organic and

physical

Tot al 40

A2 (6CH06) – Pathway 1 Candidate Profile






physical


c Quant it at ive measurement one 14

d Preparat ion one 12




physical

Tot al 40



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A2 (6CH06) – Pathway 2 Candidate Profile






physical


m (c + d) mult i-st age

experiment

one 26




physical

Tot al 40

* Approved tasks for activity b change on an annual basis

Subject Specific Forms (options A and B)

Record Sheet The record sheet s for t he AS (6CH03) and A2 (6CH06) unit s can be found on t he Edexcel websit e

at ht t p: / / www.edexcel .com/ quals/ gce/ gce08/ chemist ry/ Pages/ default .aspx

Cent res are not permit t ed t o design t heir own version of t he record sheet s. A record sheet must

be complet ed for each candidat e whet her t he work is cent re or ext ernal ly assessed. The

Declarat ion of Aut hent icat ion must be signed by t he candidat e and t he t eacher responsible for

t he assessment of t he coursework. A mark of zero or absent wil l be recorded if t he declarat ions

are not signed by bot h individuals.

Teacher’s Values Form for Internal Assessment Tasks This form must be complet ed and submit t ed wit h t he coursework t o t he moderat or/ examiner.

Each t ask indicat es whet her t he candidat e’ s result is assessed against a t eacher’ s value. Where

t his is t he case, t he t eacher’ s value should be recorded on t he form. Teachers should also use

t his form t o report any unusual or unexpect ed observat ions e.g. colour changes t hat have

af fect ed a whole class during a t ask.

Where Cent res opt for t he ext ernal ly assessed coursework, i t wil l not be possible for t he

examiner t o mark t he candidat e’ s coursework wit hout t he relevant t eacher’ s value informat ion:

where t his is not provided a mark of zero wil l have t o be recorded for any aspect t hat requires

t his comparison. The Teacher's Values form can current ly be found at :

ht t p: / / development s.edexcel.org.uk/ secure/ gce2008/ chemist ry/

Consultancy Service (options A and B) There is a consult ancy service available t o al low cent res t o submit queries or comment s about

t he t asks direct ly t o t he Principal Moderat or. This consult ancy service operat es t hrough Ask The

Expert . The email address t o use is gce2008chemist ry@edexcelexpert s.co.uk. To ensure your

email reaches t he Principal Moderat or as quickly as possible, please ident ify t he unit in t he

subj ect box of t he email . Any amendment s t o t he t asks, in response t o cent re feedback, wil l be

post ed on t he secure sit e.

In addit ion, cent res are permit t ed t o devise t heir own t asks for act ivit ies c and d (including t he

mult i-st age t ask in 6CH06 – Pat hway 2) only. Approval for cent re-devised t asks should be made



16

via Ask The Expert . Your Cent re Number and name are required and t he f ront sheet , st udent

brief and mark scheme should be included as at t achment s. It would be very helpful i f t he

subj ect / t i t le of t he email could be cent re devised t ask for approval plus t he relevant unit

number (6CH03 or 6CH06). The email address t o use is gce2008chemist ry@edexcelexpert s.co.uk

Cent res must have writ t en approval f rom Edexcel before a cent re devised t ask can be used: t his

writ t en evidence wil l be required as part of t he submission t o t he moderat or/ examiner.

Approval wil l not be given unless t he t ask:

• exact ly mat ches t he crit eria for t he act ivit y as set out in t he specif icat ion

• has t he correct t ot al mark for t hat act ivit y (each act ivit y carries a specif ied t ot al mark)

• has a f ront sheet for candidat es t o f i l l in, a st udent brief and a mark scheme t hat mat ch t he

format and st yle of t he publ ished versions.

Cent res should not e t hat any cent re devised or Edexcel publ ished assessed pract icals in

operat ion for t he Curriculum 2000 specif icat ions (GCE Chemist ry: unit s 6243/ 01 and 6246/ 01 and

GCE Chemist ry (Nuf f ield) unit s 6253/ 01 and 6255/ 50) are not approved for use in t his GCE 2008

specif icat ion: unit s 6CH03 and 6CH06.

[N.B. more informat ion about Ask The Expert can be found on t he Edexcel websit e at

ht t p: / / www.edexcel.com/ iwant t o/ Pages/ askt heexpert .aspx

Controlled Conditions (options A and B) Cent res should refer t o t he document Security of Edexcel-set Internal Assessment Tasks for

det ails of t he condit ions under which t he assessment s must t ake place. This document also

includes informat ion about st oring and handl ing t he conf ident ial t asks and can be found at

ht t p: / / development s.edexcel.org.uk/ secure/ gce2008/ chemist ry/

Collaboration (options A and B) Collaborat ive work is permit t ed for act ivit y a (GPC) where it involves preparat ions or requires

more advanced/ special ised apparat us.

Col laborat ive work is not permit t ed for act ivit ies b (Qual it at ive observat ion) and c (Quant it at ive

measurement ).

For act ivit y d (Preparat ion), candidat es are permit t ed t o work col laborat ively in pairs (not

groups). This must be acknowledged on each candidat e’ s pract ical sheet wit h t he name of t he

ot her candidat e concerned. The processing of t he dat a and t he int erpret at ion and evaluat ion of

t he preparat ion must be carried out individual ly. Each candidat e must writ e-up his/ her own

pract ical sheet as an individual.

Al l of t he t asks must be carried out under cont rol led condit ions. Candidat es are al lowed t o writ e

up t heir pract ical sheet s in a separat e lesson, but t heir mat erials must be col lect ed at t he end of

t he session, kept secure, and handed back at t he beginning of t he next session. Candidat es are

not permit t ed t o work on t heir pract ical sheet s out of t he lesson.



17

Feedback to Individual Candidates (options A and B) Candidat es are not permit t ed t o have t he original t ask ret urned t o t hem, nor are t hey permit t ed

t o have a phot ocopy t o include in t heir not es. Candidat es are not permit t ed t o have access t o

t he mark schemes. However, general point s of error can be discussed wit h candidat es e.g.

t eachers are permit t ed t o provide verbal one-t o-one feedback on a general aspect of t he t ask if

necessary.

Repeating Tasks to Improve the Mark (options A and B) During t he course candidat es must not repeat any specif ic t ask t o improve it s out come or mark.

Any work t hat is marked (eit her by t he t eacher or t he examiner) must be achieved on t he f irst

(and only) at t empt . Addit ional dif ferent t asks may be complet ed t o t ry t o improve t he out come

for an act ivit y. For t he cent re assessed opt ion, t he highest scoring t ask for an act ivit y may be

submit t ed t o t he moderat or.

Candidat es who wish t o re-sit eit her 6CH03 or 6CH06 t o improve t he unit score must complet e a

new act ivit y b t ask which is val id for use in t he year t he candidat e prof i le wil l be re-submit t ed.

The act ivit y a verif icat ion can be re-used. The cent re can t hen decide whet her t o change one,

or bot h, of t he c and d (or t he mult i-st age for 6CH06-Pat hway 2) act ivit y marks t o t ry t o

improve t he out come. However t he cent re should not e t hat t he t asks count ing t owards t he new

candidat e prof i le must meet t he specif icat ion requirement s and must be available for

moderat ion/ marking in t he year of re-submission. A new record sheet must be complet ed.

Electronic Submission on CD (options A and B) For chemist ry, t he nat ure of t he t asks renders CD submission inappropriat e.

Unit code Opt ion code Opt ion CD submission

yes/ no

6CH03 A cent re assessed no

6CH03 B ext ernal ly assessed no

6CH06 A cent re assessed no

6CH06 B ext ernal ly assessed no

Submission to the Moderator/Examiner (options A and B) Cent res must select t he candidat e prof i le t o be moderat ed/ marked for each candidat e. Only

ONE t ask per act ivit y wil l be moderat ed/ marked per candidat e. The work for each candidat e

must be organised int o t he candidat e prof i le. Cent res are recommended t o use t reasury t ags or

similar fast ening t o fast en t he t asks t oget her so t hat t he work can be moderat ed/ marked

wit hout t he need t o remove t he fast ening. St if f -backed f i les, lever arch f i les or bulky covers or

folders must not be used. The complet ed record sheet should be at t ached t o t he candidat e

prof i le as it s f ront cover.

Feedback to Centres (option B) Feedback wil l be provided in t he generic Examiners’ Report , not via an individual cent re

feedback report (E9).



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Checklist for Teachers (option B) This checkl ist summarises t he most essent ial issues for t eachers in preparat ion for t he

submission of t he ext ernal ly assessed work.

ADMINISTRATION OF INDIVIDUAL TASKS1 Each t ask has t he f ront cover complet ed t o show t he

name

candidat e number

cent re number

dat e

cent re name

COMPLETION OF THE CANDIDATE RECORD SHEET t he correct downloaded record sheet is used N.B. t here is an AS record sheet and an A2

record sheet

each record sheet has been signed by t he t eacher and t he candidat e

CANDIDATE PROFILE2 Meet s specif icat ion requirement s i.e.

act ivit y a (f ive experiment s recorded which cover inorganic and organic and physical)

act ivit y b (one t ask approved for use in t he examinat ion series t hat t he work is submit t ed

for marking)

act ivit y c (one t ask)

act ivit y d (one t ask)

act ivit y m (c+d) i.e. mult i-st age (6CH06-Pat hway 2: one t ask)

act ivit ies b, c and d (or m) cover at least two f rom inorganic, organic and physical

t he work for each candidat e is organised int o t he candidat e prof i le wit h

a complet ed and signed record sheet at t ached at t he f ront of each candidat e prof i le

SUBJECT SPECIFIC PAPERWORK Teacher’ s Values Form for Int ernal Assessment Tasks complet ed wit h informat ion t hat t he

examiner wil l need t o assess accuracy marks. This form should also include any

unexpect ed observat ions (et c) t hat have af fect ed a whole class during a t ask.

ATTENDANCE REGISTER lat e ent ries have been added t o t he regist er

candidat es who have wit hdrawn are not ed as absent

t he regist er has been signed

t op TWO copies included wit h t he coursework t o t he examiner

Note: 1. A t ask is a piece of assessed pract ical work.

2. The candidat e prof i le is def ined as t he t asks t hat have been select ed t o count t owards t he f inal mark (out

of 40) for t he candidat e.



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Appendix 4 PHYSICS

Examples of Visits and Case Studies and Practical Assignments for Unit 3

The Get t ing St art ed Booklet for GCE Physics and Guidance for Unit 3, of fer t eachers examples of

possible scenarios suit able for use by st udent s.

The Guidance for Unit 3 is publ ished as a secure document and wil l need t o be accessed by a

password.

Word Counts and Time Limits

Unit 3 Summary of visit or case study It is recommended t hat st udent s word process t his part of t he assessment . The summary should

be bet ween 500–600 words.

Unit 6 This assessment should t ake no more t han 2 hours t o complet e. Al l candidat es wit hin one class

may produce a plan for t he same experiment as each ot her and do t he same pract ical work;

however it is vit al t hat candidat es demonst rat e t hat t he assessed work t hat t hey produce is

ent irely t heir own work. If more t han one class of st udent s t ake t his assessment at dif ferent

t imes, t hen t he groups must submit dif ferent plans for assessment t o prevent plagiarism.

Candidat es’ work may be based on brief ing mat erial provided by Edexcel or brief ing mat erial

t hat is devised by t he cent re. The brief for t his assessment is t o be set by t he t eacher, not t he

st udent ; however, briefs should ref lect t he int erest s of st udent s where possible.

Submission

Electronic Submissions on CD (Centre and Externally Assessed Options)

Unit code Opt ion code Opt ion CD submission?

6PH03 A cent re assessed Yes

6PH03 B Ext ernal ly assessed No

6PH06 A cent re assessed Yes

6PH06 B Ext ernal ly assessed No

Please also read the ‘Guidance for centres on electronic submission of candidates’ assessed work’ document, which can be found at the following web address: http://www.edexcel.com/quals/gce/gce08/physics/Pages/default.aspx

Organisation of Submissions



20

Submit samples wit h annot at ion and wit h t he appropriat e cover sheet . Cent res are advised t hat

as a requirement of t he Code of pract ice t he script s must be annot at ed by t eachers, fai lure t o

do so wil l result in t he ret urn t o cent res for updat ing. To assist t he moderat ion or assessment

process please bind t he submissions wit h t reasury t ags, large papercl ips or st aples. Please do not

use plast ic envelopes.

Consultancy Service There is a consult ancy service available t o al low cent res t o submit t heir coursework t o a

Principal Moderat or for advice and comment . This service is available t o cent res ent ering

candidat es for bot h t he cent re assessed opt ion and t he ext ernal ly assessed opt ion. Det ails of t he

service are available on t he Biology GCE 2008 homepage.

Please not e t hat t his service is designed t o give guidance on t he st rengt hs and weaknesses of t he

work submit t ed, and is not int ended for t he marking or re-marking of candidat es’ work.

E9 Feedback Reports It is our int ent ion t o provide individual feedback in Physics for cent res who have submit t ed work

t o be marked by Edexcel. However, t his feedback is not guarant eed; t herefore where t his is t he

case, a generic Examiners’ Report wil l be publ ished inst ead of t he individual cent re feedback.

For cent res using t he cent re-assessed opt ion, a moderat or’ s report wil l be available on Edexcel

Onl ine af t er t he publ icat ion of resul t s.



21

Documents

GCE 2008 - Centre Guidance Document Level...accurately before the deadline to enable Edexcel to issue results on time. 3.2.6 For each candidate submit the final raw mark according