School of Education
PGCE Primary Part-time
University-led Programme
Academic Assessment Handbook
Cohort 18
2016-18
Contents
Title / PageExpectations for Submissions / 4
Support for Academic Work, Extensions and Mitigating Circumstances / 7
Application for Extension of Submission Date (up to 7 days) Form / 9
Request for Consideration of Mitigating Circumstances Form / 11
External Examining and Quality Assurance / 13
3PGC08 – Early Years and Primary Curriculum / 14
3PGC12 – Early Years and Primary Curriculum with Specialism / 19
MPGC02 – Understanding Learning and Teaching and School Experience / 24
MPGC05 – The Emerging Professional and School Experience / 27
Guidelines for Written Work / 32
Assignment Submission Slips / 34
Harvard Referencing / 35
University Assessment Criteria / 37
Continuing with Masters level study / 38
Overview of submissions
in / back
MPGC02 / Mon 24th Apr 2017 / Mon 22nd May 2017
MPGC05 / Nov 2017
MPGC05 presentations / Mar 2018
3PGC08 core subject portfolio / Fri 24th Mar 2017 / Fri 21stApr 2017
3PGC08 Presentations / Dec 2017
3PGC12 Core subject portfolio / Fri 24th Mar 2017 / Fri 21st Apr 2017
3PGC12 Specialism portfolio / Apr 2018
Re-submissions
in / back
MPGC02 / Fri 7th Jul 2017 / Fri 21st Jul 2017
MPGC05
MPGC05 presentations
3PGC08 core subject portfolio / Fri 7th Jul 2017 / Fri 21st Jul 2017
3PGC08 Presentations
3PGC12 Core subject portfolio / Fri 7th Jul 2017 / Fri 21st Jul 2017
3PGC12 Specialism portfolio
1
Overview of the PGCE Assessment for QTS
Expectations for Submissions
You will enrol on the PGCE programme from the outset and your assessed work will be at Masters level (two professional studies modules) and Level 3 (one curriculum module/subject specialism module). In order to pass work at Level 3, you need to achieve at least a grade of 40. For Masters level work, this grade needs to be at least 50.
All school placements will be graded as pass or fail, where a pass will be a mark of 50 and a fail a mark of 20. Academic work is graded within the 0-100 grading scale.
The two professional modules have dual criteria. If your work achieves a grade between 40 and 49, this means it has not met the criteria for Masters level but it has met the criteria for Level 3. You can accept this grade which means you will pass the module at Level 3. This means you will not qualify for the PGCE but you will gain the Graduate Diploma in Education.
All academic work at Masters level should be to a more critical and reflective standard than that of Level 3 work. This means that you are expected to have read widely, be able to challenge theory and put forward your own conclusions and argument. You should also be able to identify any gaps in the current topic which you are writing about and suggest your own creative and innovative ideas about further discussions to be had.
All work, regardless of whether it is Level 3 or Masters level, is assessed for academic conventions and style. You should be able to use Standard English accurately as well as ensure there are no spelling errors, grammatical errors or incorrect verb tense.
You should avoid the following:
- colloquial language
- contractions (e.g., write cannot instead of can’t)
- generalisations
- emotive language (e.g., fantastic, brilliant)
Word limit
Word limits are specified for assessed work in order to encourage clear and succinct writing by students and to maintain equity between all the students doing the same assessment. Students are required to keep to the word limit set for an assessment and to note that they may be subject to penalty if they exceed that limit according to the table of penalties set out below. The penalties are specified so that a piece of work of pass standard will be eligible for at least the capped mark notwithstanding the extent of any over-run.
Up to 10% over the word limit / Situation flagged by tutor in feedback but over-run is tolerated and no deduction is made from the final markBetween 10% and 25% over the word limit / Deduction of 5 marks off final mark or the work will be awarded the capped re-sit mark whichever is the greater
Between 25% and 50% over the word limit / Deduction of 15 marks for the final mark or the work will be awarded the capped re-sit mark whichever is the greater.
In excess of 50% over the word limit / Eligible only for the capped re-sit mark only (40 for Level 3 and 50 for M level)
You will be required to provide an accurate word count for each piece of work you submit. This will normally rely on the word count system within Microsoft Word.
The word count specified for assessments will exclude reference lists and appendices. It will also exclude tables and graphs.
Appendices will not count against the word limit but should not contain large amounts of text. It will be expected that they will normally contain diagrams or tables or visual images.
Markers will check the declared word count against the word limit specified for that assessment; where the word count exceeds the specified word limit, the appropriate penalty will be applied. This will be reported to the Assessment Panel.
If it is suspected that the student has not declared the word count honestly, and that the piece of work is over the specified limit, the word count may be checked and a penalty applied. The Assessment Panel may reserve the right to refer the student for consideration under the University’s policy on academic cheating.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of deliberately presenting someone else’s work as your own. It is absolutely unacceptable in academic work, and the penalties are very severe; the University cannot award any marks for work that is not your own. It is not enough to include the source used in your reference list; all reference to other people’s work must be carefully acknowledged by use of quotation marks, notes or references. If you are any doubt about the requirements for proper referencing, consult this handbook, the library website, and/or ask a tutor.
Academic work normally requires working with other people’s ideas, and using data from other people’s research. This is to be encouraged, as long as the proper conventions for referencing are used. However, academic work also requires students to demonstrate their achievement of critical and analytical skills; without proper referencing, tutors cannot identify the student’s own work, and cannot therefore award marks.
Working collaboratively
The School of Education recognises the educational and personal value of collaborative discussion and learning, across all the modules it offers on its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. We actively encourages tutors to incorporate group-based learning activities into a wide range of student learning experience and encourage students to take the fullest advantage of such opportunities.
However, all experience carries potential risk as well as potential benefit. The importance of group learning activity needs to be set against the fact that the award of credit towards a degree classification is essentially the recognition of the individual achievement of each student. Whenever a student submits a piece of written coursework, a declaration of academic integrity is signed asserting that the work is the student’s own and is not plagiarised (borrowed or paraphrased from an unacknowledged source). Coursework which is (in part or as a whole) the outcome of group collaboration cannot be treated as an exception to this important principle.
Although it is often difficult to be certain where any particular aspect of learning has originated, students must ensure, to the best of their ability, that material which is known to emanate from group collaboration acknowledges the contribution of other members of the group. Any conclusion, perspective or consensus which has been arrived at through group discussion, debate or collaboration must not be claimed solely as the work of any individual member of that group.
The principle applies across all types of written coursework but students are advised to pay particular care to the application of this principle to types of coursework which are necessarily of a personal nature. For example, the submission of an individual learning journal, based as it will be on the individual perceptions and reflections of a particular student’s unique experience, must not contain elements which are simplistically drawn from the outcome of group collaboration, but rather must be reflected on and individualised by the submitting student. Even then, due acknowledgement must be explicitly made to the group context and contribution.
Students who choose to ignore this important principle run the risk of having their work seen as being plagiarised and thus subject themselves to the normal University penalties for such dishonesty.
Marking of academic work
Tutors will apply a consistent procedure for marking your work. There will be summary comments on the feedback sheet as well as some comments written within your text. These comments are intended to highlight aspects for development so you can address these in future work. You may also be advised to seek writing support if there are numerous aspects of your writing that need attention.
At least 10% of the overall work will be moderated by a second tutor. This is to ensure consistency of judgements and marks made against the criteria. A moderator may not add additional comments but will verify the grade given by the first marker. In some instances, academic work may be moderated by a third tutor.
Resubmissions and fees
All resubmissions will incur a fee. Academic work will be £50 for resubmission. School placements will be £500. These fees are fixed by YSJ Registry.
If a piece of work is not submitted by the published deadline or an approved extended deadline, a mark of 0 NS will be recorded. If you fail any academic work, you normally have one attempt to resubmit it. Your feedback sheet will show whether you have passed or not. If you do not pass, you are encouraged to seek a tutorial with the tutor who first marked your work. Marks will be capped at 50 (M Level) or 40 (Level 3) for resubmissions but feedback will indicate the grade you would have achieved if it had been a first submission.
In cases where you have not made use of the first assessment opportunity, the Subject-area Assessment Panel and Board of Examiners for Progress and Award are unlikely to exercise favourably any discretionary powers relating to re-assessment opportunities, progression or award. Students should be aware that failing to make use of assessment opportunities may delay progress and/or award of the degree and graduation.
For failed school placements, please see the Programme Handbook.
Date for all resubmissions: Friday 7th July 2017 by 12 noon.
Resubmissions must be handed into the Education Office in hard copy of electronically via Moodle. You must include a front sheet as in your first submission as well as the feedback sheet from your first piece of work. This will enable the tutor marking your resubmission to identify whether you have addressed the targets from your previous work.
In most cases, resubmitted work will not need to be a completely new piece of work. It is likely that you will re-work your first attempt and address the questions and comments from tutors.
Distinctions and Commendations
If you achieve a mark of 70 or above in any module, you will receive a commendation. If you have commendations in all three modules and have shown strength in practical teaching, you will be awarded a PGCE with Distinction. The professional school experience aspect on a module is capped at 50 but is not used when calculating the overall academic mark.
Support for Academic Work, Extensions and Mitigating Circumstances
Support for Academic Work
YSJU has a dedicated Learning Support team who offer short courses and specific guidance for academic work. They can help you to identify ways to improve the efficiency and quality of your academic work and offer advice and tuition on study and writing strategies.
You can contact them by email: or call 01904 876477. More information can be found at the web address on the Student Homepage:
Submission Dates
Submission dates for all assessments are published in this handbook and on Moodle. This date is the equivalent of an exam, and it is expected that all work will be submitted by the published deadline.
Late Submission without prior arrangement
Where work is submitted up to 7 days after the deadline without an agreed extension the mark will be capped at 40 for Level 3 work and 50 for Masters level work. Where work is not submitted within 7 days of the deadline, a non-submission will be recorded with a mark of 0 NS and a re-sit offered for a capped mark of 40 for Level 3 work and 50 for Masters level work.
Failure to submit the re-sit by the revised submission date will result in a mark of 0NSX, which will prevent progression to the next level of study and it is likely that the programme will be terminated.
Medical or Unforeseen Personal Circumstances (short term): Approved by Cohort Lead
If medical or unforeseen serious personal circumstances prevent submission by the published deadline, an application for an extension of up to 7 days may be submitted to the Education Office. If an extension is approved, the work will be eligible for full marks. If an extension is not approved, any work received after the published submission date will be treated as a Late Submission (see above). If work is submitted after the extended deadline it will be treated as a Late Submission (see above).
Medical or Unforeseen Personal Circumstances (long term): Approved by Head of School
If the circumstances are serious and have a long term impact on the student’s ability to submit work or engage in module activity, a request for mitigating circumstances accompanied by documentary evidence should be submitted to the Education Office. Approval of Mitigating Circumstances will normally result in one of the following:
- an extended deadline for full marks for submission before the Registrar’s Deadline
- an extended deadline for capped marks for submission before the Registrar’s Deadline
- a mark of 0DF and an opportunity to submit the work in the re-sit period
In exceptional circumstances, additional measures outlined in the University’s Mitigating Circumstances Policy may be applicable. In such cases, the Head of Department will forward your application to the University Concessions Committee for consideration.
Monitoring
Applications for Extensions and Mitigating Circumstances will be monitored to ensure that students are being treated equitably, both within the School of Education and across all Schools within the University.
How to apply for an Extension
Complete an Application for Extension form available in this handbook, on the Programme Area of Moodle or from the Education Office. Sign the form and deliver it to the Education Office. The Cohort Lead may wish to discuss your application with you in order to ensure that you have any support you might need. You will receive an email response to your YSJU email account within one working day of submitting your application. In the meantime you should continue to work towards the published deadline.
How to apply for Mitigating Circumstances
You may wish to discuss your circumstances with your Academic Tutor who will help you with the form. Complete a Request for Consideration of Mitigating Circumstances form available in this handbook, on the Programme Area of Moodle or from the EducationOffice. Sign the form and deliver it with documentary evidence (see table below) to the Education Office.
The Cohort Lead may wish to discuss your application in order to advise you on the options available to you and ensure that the appropriate support is in place to support you. You will receive an email response to your YSJU email account within five working days of submitting your application.
If your application requires submission to the University Concessions Committee for consideration, you will receive notification of the outcome directly from the Concessions Committee. This will normally be within 14 days of the Board of Examiners (see Re-submission / Re-sit Schedule table below).
Cohort Lead may approve: deferral within the module; deferral to the next resubmission date. Any other measures must be discussed with members of the Mitigating Circumstances Group and submitted to Concessions Committee.
School of Education
Application for Extension of Submission Date (up to 7 days)
(please complete all sections)
Your DetailsStudent name: / Student number:
Programme: / YSJ Email:
Academic year: / Semester /Term:
Collaborative Partner:
(if applicable) / Contact Telephone Number:
Reason for application for extension (X as appropriate)
- Short Term Illness of student
Subsequent applications: (Student to attach documentary evidence with this form e.g. GP letter, confirming circumstances). /
- Illness of dependents or immediate family
- Bereavement
- Moving House
- Registered with the Disability Advice Team but reasonable adjustments not yet agreed
- Seeking Writing Support (not registered with Disability Unit)
- Unforeseen personal circumstances
- Professional Interview
- Inability to travel due to circumstances beyond control
- Time Management or multiple deadlines & lost USB stick/loss of data
Supporting Statement (please summarise your circumstances and how they have impacted your studies)
Please continue the form overleaf