Quality assurance
Quality Assurance Standards
Where assessments are marked by centres, we make sure standards are being applied accurately and consistently. We carry out quality assurance monitoring activities to ensure that assessment judgements are valid and reliable so that learners are not advantaged or disadvantaged.
Specific quality assurance guidance is included in qualification handbooks and/or in the qualification assessment documentation.
Ofqual and Centre Assessment Standards Scrutiny (CASS)
All awarding organisations need to comply with Ofqual’s General Conditions of Recognition. As part of the conditions Ofqual require awarding organisations to devise and maintain a Centre Assessment Standards Scrutiny (CASS) strategy. One of the aims of Ofqual introducing CASS is to ensure robust quality assurance of an assessment when it is marked by a centre. This helps maintain a consistent process and valid and reliable results across awarding organisations.
The Ofqual CASS requirements are reflected in the quality assurance processes in place at City & Guilds. They include the checks we make to ensure valid and reliable results are issued through our verification and moderation processes.
Verification of Assessment
Verification is a quality assurance method for centre assessments involving external scrutiny of a range of evidence, including learner work, assessor records and Independent Quality Assurer records, which are used to ascertain the accuracy of centre assessment judgements.
What checks are made during the verification process?
City & Guilds carry out checks during the verification process. The minimum checks and actions that will be carried out are:
- Sampling a range of centre assessment decisions based on risk
- Annual observation of centres delivering and marking assessments, where appropriate. These observations may be in person or remote, and some may take place at short notice
- Review of Internal Quality Assurance records
- Regular review of centre scrutiny approach
- Feedback on assessment judgements that do not meet the standard
- For more information on verification read the guide ‘City & Guilds Quality Assurance Standards – Section 4, External Quality Assurance methods.
Read the guide for more on verification.
Moderation of Assessment
Moderation involves reviewing the marking or grading of a representative sample of centre learners by City & Guilds moderators. This scrutiny shows how accurately a centre is marking against the national standard. It also shows if adjustments need to be made by a centre to bring their cohort’s marks in line with this standard.
What checks are made during the moderation process
City & Guilds carry out checks during the moderation process. The minimum checks and actions that will be carried out will be:
- Sampling a range of centre marking based on risk for each exam series Review of Internal Quality Assurance records
- Adjustment of marks by the awarding organisation to meet the standard
- Feedback on assessment judgement regardless of outcome
For more information on moderation read the guide ‘City & Guilds Quality Assurance Standards – Section 4, External Quality Assurance methods.
Read section 4 for more on moderation.
If you have any queries regarding the implementation of CASS or any other quality assurance questions please contact your allocated quality team.
Our Quality Assurance Model
Our quality assurance model has been developed to give you a robust yet flexible approach to quality assurance.
Our Quality teams will tailor quality assurance activities to fit your specific situation and needs. As well as enabling you to meet regulatory requirements, this is designed to help you achieve your business objectives and ensure consistent quality.
Our Quality Assurance Offer
At the core of our offer is your activity planner, which is based on your centre’s monitoring rating and continuous support for improvement.
Underpinning the package are the following essential factors:
- an annual systems visit (if you are a small centre we will look to combine this with sampling activity, to save you time)
- sales support activity
- a dedicated and named member of staff in your City & Guilds Quality team
- quality assurance support activities that reflect the nature of business you have with us.
Should you have any further questions, please take a look at our view our detailed Quality Assurance documents.
Quality Assurance Model
The City & Guilds Quality Assurance Model is a risk-based strategy that follows the key steps shown in this diagram. This is an ongoing process designed to tailor quality assurance support activities to the specific needs of each centre.
Step 1: The Quality Teams will review the information it has regarding the centre, and the specific risks attached to each qualification.
Step 2: If the Quality Teams assess that it is required, they will create a quality assurance activity planner (normally covering 12 months) that will meet the specific centre needs.
Step 3: These quality assurance activities are then implemented and monitored to ensure that they are providing appropriate support for centres. Planned activities can be amended if necessary to reflect the changing needs of the centre and/or City & Guilds requirements.
Detailed information on the centre and qualification approval process can be found in the City & Guilds Centre Manual.