EDI Functional Skills Qualification in English at Level 2

Transcription

1 EDI Functional Skills Qualification in English at Level 2 Support Pack Effective from: 1 September 2010 Accreditation number: 500/9198/0 Version 3 For further information, contact us: Tel: +44 (0) enquiries@ediplc.com Website:

2 Introduction 1 What are Functional Skills? 2 Functional Skills Qualification in English at Level 2 Criteria 4 Qualification Structure 6 Assessment Conditions and Procedures 8 Online Test Invigilation Procedures 9 Online Testing and System Requirements 13 EDI Support Services 14 Scheduling Tests 16 Making Claims 19

3 Introduction The Support Pack This support pack has been developed to provide additional guidance for centres working with learners to achieve the EDI Functional Skills Qualification in English Level 2. It has two purposes: (a) (b) To provide, in one place, all of the additional information that may be needed to prepare for, and then support the successful delivery of this qualification; To provide a resource that can be updated easily and quickly when it becomes necessary, and made available to all users. This support pack has a version number and date on the footer. An up-to-date copy of this support pack is always downloadable from our website in pdf format. If this pack is updated, we will let you know in EDI Qualifications Update our monthly newsletter to approved centres, and in the News section on our website ( This is available to download from our News section of our website. If you would like to receive an electronic copy of the EDI Qualifications Update each month, please contact our enquiries team at enquiries@ediplc.com. About EDI EDI is one of the largest awarders of accredited vocational qualifications in the UK and has been involved in providing qualifications for employment for over 100 years. We work with over 1400 centres and we award over 140,000 vocational qualification certificates every year. Our vocational qualifications are developed in collaboration with industry and are used by students and employers as a benchmark for practical skills and quality. They include National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs), Vocationally Related Qualifications (VRQs), Technical Certificates, apprenticeships and Skills for Life qualifications. EDI qualifications are accredited on the National Qualifications Framework and are eligible for government funding. EDI qualifications are also accredited on the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF). EDI offers unrivalled centre support, through online administration, resources and customer care. In addition, EDI provides a wide range of services for training providers, colleges, employers and schools, including customised assessments, bespoke training programmes, innovative interactive online assessments mapped to the national curriculum, an electronic portfolio system, access to high volume printing and broadband facilities. For more details, please visit the EDI website: 1

4 What are Functional Skills? Functional skills are the fundamental applied skills in English, Mathematics and ICT that help people to gain the most from life, learning and work. Functional skills are common to all our lives. They help us make sense of daily life, for example when working out which deal is best value, writing an application letter or surfing the internet. They are about problem-solving, effective decision-making, and resolving real life challenges. Functional skills qualifications in English, Mathematics and ICT are currently being piloted and will be available nationally from September There will be a single route of progression in these crucial skills, common to qualifications and learning programmes for young people and adults alike. To ensure that functional skills are readily accessible to the full range of learners, the qualifications are available as: free-standing qualifications; a component of Diplomas; a component of Apprenticeships incorporated into the English, mathematics and ICT programmes of study at Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. Functional skills are being developed to support and raise standards across the wider landscape of existing qualifications. Teaching and learning Functional skills require learners to have mastered all the functional skills standards for the qualification they are working towards. Once learners have achieved mastery of the standards, then learners can take their summative assessments. The Functional Skills Criteria can be downloaded from the Ofqual website: Tutor requirements Centres must ensure that their teaching staff are appropriately qualified and experienced to deliver functional skills. Whilst there are no mandatory requirements for functional skills tutors, EDI recommends that functional skills teaching staff have the following: A teaching qualification such as PTLLS or CTLLS; Functional skill qualification in the same subject and at the same level or the level above that which they are teaching; Experience of teaching literacy, numeracy or ICT as appropriate. 2

5 Tips for English learners include: Use a dictionary to spell check your work, you are allowed to bring one in to the examination. Spelling, punctuation and grammar account for 40%-45% of the marks for the writing assessment. Do have a look at the sample assessments from for a clear idea of what the test will look like. For on screen assessments, do see the sample assessment material and make sure you can use the buttons, review screen and navigate from text to text, question to question. You do not have to write in complete sentences for the reading assessments. You will not be assessed on spelling, punctuation and grammar in the reading assessment. When the questions indicate how many marks it is worth, then do make sure you have covered these points e.g. List three reasons why..? Make sure you have three reasons in your answers. If in the writing paper you are asked to include three pieces of information, make sure you include them! You will gain marks for each of these points. For those of you doing written (rather than on screen) assessments, please take care with your handwriting. There are no extra marks for good handwriting, but we do need to be able to read what you've written and check that your spelling and punctuation are accurate. Answers to questions on the reading paper can be found in the texts themselves. You are not expected to use your own knowledge of a subject, but simply to answer the questions based on the information you are given. 3

6 Functional Skills Qualification in English at Level 2 Criteria Reading Skill standard Coverage and range Assessment weighting Select, read, understand and compare texts and use them to gather information, ideas, arguments and opinions. Select and use different types of texts to obtain and utilise relevant information. Read and summarise, succinctly, information/ideas from different sources. Identify the purposes of texts and comment on how meaning is conveyed. Detect point of view, implicit meaning and/or bias. Analyse texts in relation to audience needs and consider suitable responses. In three or more texts Not applicable Writing Skill standard Coverage and range Assessment weighting Write a range of texts, including extended written documents, communicating information, ideas and opinions, effectively and persuasively. Present information/ideas concisely, logically, and persuasively. Present information on complex subjects clearly and concisely. Use a range of writing styles for different purposes. Use a range of sentence structures, including complex sentences, and paragraphs to organise written communication effectively. Punctuate written text using commas, apostrophes and inverted commas accurately. Ensure written work is fit for purpose and audience, with accurate spelling and grammar that support clear meaning. In a range of text types 55-60% 40-45% 4

7 Speaking, Listening and Communication Skill standard Coverage and range Assessment weighting Make a range of contributions to discussions in a range of contexts, including those that are unfamiliar, and make effective presentations. Consider complex information and give a relevant, cogent response in appropriate language. Present information and ideas clearly and persuasively to others Adapt contributions to suit audience, purpose and situation Make significant contributions to discussions, taking a range of roles and helping to move discussion forward Not applicable Qualification codes Subject Level Product code Paper code Accreditation English 2 FSENG Reading: AST4157 Writing: AST /9198/0 5

8 Qualification Structure To achieve a full certificate in Functional Skills English at Level 2, learners are required to achieve a total of three units as outlined below: Reading Writing Speaking, Listening and Communication Assessment design All assessments have been developed in accordance with the Functional Skills Qualification Criteria and subject-specific Functional Skills criteria as issued by Ofqual in November Assessment tasks have been carefully designed to ensure that any texts included within the assessment are appropriate for the level of assessment. All texts and questions are checked according to the Flesch reading score system during the assessment production process. Reading The EDI Functional Skills English (Reading) at Level 2 is assessed through a single, externally set assessment which consists of tasks based on four different texts, comprising approximately 1000 words in total. The assessment lasts 75 minutes. The assessment at level 2 has been designed to assess the learner s ability to select, read, understand and compare texts in detail and use them to gather information, ideas, arguments and opinions. All assessment tasks and accompanying texts have been developed to ensure that the overall task is purposeful for all learners, regardless of their age and learning environment. All of the skills standards within the skill area are covered within each assessment paper, in accordance with the Functional Skills Criteria in English at Level 2. Fixed response questions are used where it is deemed necessary, however EDI s approach to assessment design is to encourage learners to demonstrate active engagement with reading texts which is best achieved through open response questions. Assessment tasks are designed in accordance with the task-setting specification to ensure that there is an appropriate balance of fixed-response and openresponse questions. In accordance with the English Functional Skills Criteria, no more than 50% of the reading assessment is assessed through fixed-response questions. The Reading assessment is available to be taken on-screen or paper-based. Candidates may take a standard English or bilingual dictionary into their assessment whether they take the assessment on-screen or paper-based. EDI s on-screen assessment does not incorporate an on-screen dictionary. The Reading assessment is marked externally by EDI. 6

9 Writing Functional Skills English (Writing) at Level 2 is assessed through a single externally set assessment which comprises tasks based on a range of different texts. The assessment lasts 75 minutes. The assessment as a whole covers the skills standards within each skill area, according to the specified weighting set out in the Functional Skills Criteria in English at Level 2. The tasks require learners to produce a range of extended written documents, communicating ideas and opinions, effectively and persuasively. The EDI task-setting specification for Functional Skills English (Writing) ensures that assessments contain 100% open-response questions and that appropriate marks allocation is awarded for spelling, punctuation and grammar, according to the assessment weighting stipulated in the Functional Skills English criteria. The Writing assessment is available to be taken on-screen or paper-based. Candidates may take a standard English or bilingual dictionary into their assessment whether they take the assessment on-screen or paper-based. EDI s on-screen assessment does not incorporate an on-screen dictionary. The Writing assessment is marked externally by EDI. Speaking, Listening and Communication EDI provides example ideas for assessment and suggestions for centres to devise their own tasks for Speaking, Listening and Communication at Level 2, which can be adapted by the centre. The assessment lasts 30 minutes in total. The assessment is designed to assess the effective application of speaking, listening and communication skills within a range of different contexts, including those that are unfamiliar, based on real-life scenarios. Assessment tasks must be 100% open response. EDI s support information for Level 2 includes guidance documents detailing the parameters for adaptation of the assessment tasks by the centre. This approach allows the centre to take into account local circumstances which creates opportunities for assessments to be functional and applicable to scenarios which are purposeful for the learner. All tasks must be approved by EDI in advance. The Speaking, Listening and Communication assessment is internally marked and externally moderated by EDI. 7

10 Assessment Conditions and Procedures Assessments are administered and conducted by centres in accordance with the Examination Guidance for EDI Centres. The guidance sets out the procedures that must be followed by centres before, during and after the assessment process. Centres register learners for assessments using the EDI online administration tool. Assessments will take place under exam conditions. On-screen candidates will access their assessment using a login and password provided to the centre. Upon completion of the assessment, they will be prompted to check their work before submitting it electronically to EDI for marking. In the event of an emergency, eg fire alarm, candidates are able to use the emergency function on-screen in order to interrupt the test and resume when the candidates return to the exam room. A Tutor Manual has been produced to accompany on-screen assessments. Reading and Writing assessments are marked externally by EDI according to EDI s awarding procedures. These procedures cover the awarding and marking process for both on-screen and paper-based assessments to ensure that the assessment system is transparent and that all candidates are treated fairly. Once an assessment has taken place, samples of marked scripts are brought to standardisation meetings and awarding committee meetings in order to agree a final version of the mark scheme and ensure examiner consistency in marking, before mark boundaries are established and awarding takes place. Reading and Writing assessments may be taken by candidates on the same day. Speaking, Listening and Communication assessments are marked by the centre, according to the marking criteria issued by EDI, and moderated externally by EDI. The moderation process involves reviewing the pass boundary based on the mark distribution for the unit. The centre must also keep appropriate records, submit marks to EDI when agreed and carry out internal standardisation between assessors. The centre s marking will be moderated by EDI. Diversity, access and inclusion EDI s Functional Skills qualifications address diversity, access and inclusion issues through a) stipulation in the generation of assessment material b) assessment arrangements and c) guidance to centres. The assessments generated by EDI are designed to be inclusive and free from bias and this is built into the task-setting specifications on which the assessments are based. EDI administers external assessments in line with the latest recommended procedures for ensuring accessibility and fair treatment of all as well as the qualifications criteria for Functional Skills. EDI has procedures in place for making reasonable adjustments to assessments for those learners with particular assessment requirements, provided that this does not invalidate the assessment requirements of the qualification. For full details, please refer to EDI s Guidance notes for centres on reasonable adjustments for candidates with particular assessment requirements. This document can be downloaded by EDI approved centres from the EDI website This guidance includes information specific to English functional skills, for example the use of British Sign Language for Speaking and Listening candidates and the use of Braille and assistive technology for Reading and Writing candidates. A number of specific features have been built into EDI s on-screen version of the assessments to ensure that learners are not disadvantaged. These features include keyboard shortcuts, zoom facilities and the opportunity to change the background and font colour for learners with visual impairments. 8

11 Online Test Invigilation Procedures 1. Preparation for the tests Candidate access Candidates with particular assessment requirements should be advised to contact the test centre at least three months in advance to sure that adequate provision is made for their need. Centres should contact EDI at least two months before the test to agree any particular requirements. Centres will have to consider the special needs of candidates. Relevant issues include, but are not limited, to: need for some workstations to have additional space or facilities to cater for candidates with disabilities (e.g. wheelchair access); need for a range of assistive equipment (e.g. large monitors, coloured filters); in some circumstances a reader or amanuensis may need to be provided. Note that this is permissible only for certain subjects; in some instances, the centre may need to consider whether a non-it alternative should be provided; the provision of up to 25% extra time is allowed without prior permission from EDI. For more information please refer to the EDI Particular Assessment Requirements guidance; when scheduling tests online a button will appear to set extra time and the reason for the request must be given at this time. It is recommended that centres arrange invigilated mock testing sessions prior to live tests being taken. Where candidates are unfamiliar with hardware, keyboards etc the centre must give adequate time for candidates to gain familiarity prior to a test session taking place. Material to be supplied by the centre Scrap paper (to be provided by the Centre and collected by the invigilator after the test) Pencil 9

12 Information to be given to candidates before the day of the test Candidates should be informed of the following in advance of any test (see general EDI examination regulations and regulations for individual tests for further details). The rules and regulations of the test process, including what information or aids may be accessed. The penalties or disciplinary measures that may be applied. What evidence of identity is required? What provision is made in case of technical problems (see Contingency Arrangements and Recovery Procedures)? The procedures for dealing with emergencies if a fire alarm sounds, candidates should wait for instructions. The test coverage. The number and type of items in the test. How the items will be scored. How and when the results will be received. Any provision for candidates using assistive technology. Accommodation Offsite testing can take place at the discretion of the centre and without permission of EDI as long as normal invigilation arrangements are maintained. For monitoring purposes, centres should record the location of each test on the invigilator declaration. EDI is committed to maintaining the integrity of the testing process and visits test sites to monitor arrangements. Any room in which a test is conducted must provide candidates with appropriate conditions in which to take the examination. Due attention must be paid to such matters as heating, lighting, ventilation and the level of extraneous noise. No display material (e.g. diagrams, wall charts) that might be helpful to candidates must be visible in the test room. A board or flip chart must be visible to all candidates showing the centre number. The seating arrangements must be such as to prevent candidates from overlooking intentionally or otherwise the work of others. Candidates sitting the same test must be seated at least 1 metre apart. If partitions or screen filters are available, workstations may be closer together if in doubt, please refer EDI. To provide backup in case of technical problems, one spare workstation should be allocated for every 10 candidates taking the test. 10

13 2. Invigilation arrangements Invigilation teams The centre co-ordinator is responsible for ensuring that suitably qualified and experienced staff carry out invigilation. EDI tests must be supervised by trained invigilators. Further information on invigilator training and guidance can be found on the NAA website ( No person who has given instruction to or acted as an assessor of any of the learners in the test subject may act as a sole invigilator and no relative of, or person directly interested in, a learner may act in this capacity. In exceptional circumstances where this is not possible, the centre must request permission from EDI. EDI reserves the right to visit any on line test location without prior notification. At least one invigilator must be present in each room throughout the test. Where there are more than 25 learners, one additional invigilator will normally be required for every additional 25 or fraction of 25 learners. In an L or T shaped room at least two invigilators must be present. Additional invigilators may be changed during the test session providing the number present in the test room does not fall below the number prescribed. When only one invigilator is present he/she must be able to summon assistance easily without leaving the room and without disturbing the candidates. In the event of an emergency or a technical problem where another person must enter the room, this must be noted on the invigilator declaration as a disturbance and the reason given. Only candidates, invigilators, technicians and representatives of EDI may remain in the room during a test. If a technician or an EDI representative is present, this must be noted on the invigilator declaration. A technician may remain in the room for the duration of the test. The technician may not act as an invigilator but is simply there to deal with any technical problems that may arise. The presence of a technician must be noted on the invigilator declaration. Candidate attendance The invigilator must be satisfied as to the identity of every candidate attending each test (the coordinator must ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place to enable all invigilators to carry out adequate checks on the identity of all candidates). Only those candidates whose names appear on the attendance report will be allowed to enter the room. All candidates must sign the attendance report and show their evidence of identity before they take their places at least 15 minutes before the time for the test to start. In exceptional circumstances a candidate may enter the room after the start of the test but no entry will be permitted after the test has been in progress for 20 minutes. These circumstances, including any other disturbance and special consideration, must be detailed on the invigilator declaration and any evidence attached. The invigilator must complete the attendance report fully in accordance with EDI instructions ensuring that any candidate who has been entered but is not present for the test is marked as absent. 11

14 Final instructions to candidates Candidates should be informed that it may be useful to take micro-breaks (to relax muscles and look away from the screen) in order to reduce the effects of prolonged screen use; that they are forbidden to communicate in any way with, seek assistance from or give assistance to another candidate whilst they are in the room; how to request help if they have any problems; that they can move backwards and forwards through the questions at any time; that they should try each question but, if there is one they cannot do, they should go on to the next and come back to it later; that any rough working must be done on scrap paper provided by the centre and this is to be collected in after the test; that when they feel they have completed the test they should click on the submit button; that they are allowed to leave the test environment if they believe that they have finished the test. Before the test starts, the candidates will have the opportunity to look at and answer some practice questions to familiarise them with how to operate the program. Answer any questions concerning procedure and how to use the on line tests at this point. Once all candidates feel they have had ample time to familiarise themselves with the testing interface and feel confident to go ahead, then the invigilator must clearly announce that candidates may now start the test. At the end of the test The invigilator must complete and sign the invigilator declaration and post this with the attendance report to the EDI Service Delivery within 48 hours. 12

15 Online Testing and System Requirements General requirements Please see below the minimum specifications required to run the Functional Skills tests on a PC: Pentium III 2.0 GHZ or higher (Pentium IV Recommended); 256 Meg Ram (512 or higher Recommended); Windows 98, 2000, or XP (Vista compatibility testing is ongoing); Internet Explorer 5.0 or above (IE 6 recommended); 128kbs Internet Connection per Client (256mbs or above preferred). Latest Flash Plug-in installed (currently Version ). Link for downloading the Plug-in: Notes: If centres are not sure that they meet these requirements, they can run our diagnostics tool on their machines: Click on the ICT diploma diagnostics and check the following programs: Flash player version; Check Javascript; Test bandwidth; Test available ports; Install Active X. Each PC used in testing will require a diagnostic completed on it. If there are any changes made to the PC or network it accesses another diagnostic will need to run to check that compatibility has not been affected. 13

16 EDI Support Services Our Enquiries or Centre Support teams can be contacted between the hours of 0830 and 1700 Monday to Friday by using the contact details below or outside those hours by leaving a message on our voic service. All messages will be returned the next working day. Enquiries team (general enquiries) Telephone helpline: Fax: enquiries@ediplc.com Our enquiries team will be happy to assist you with any general enquiries that you may have, for example: information relating to new or existing products and services, including launch dates, award content and links with existing products; enquiries regarding qualification structures and content; pricing enquiries including price lists requests; support on the use of EDI s websites e.g. general information requests including, address, fax number etc; initial enquires from new centres interested in working with EDI; maintaining accurate contact details for centres. Centre support team (Campus and administration enquiries) Telephone helpline: Fax: centresupport@ediplc.com Our centre support team will be happy to assist with any administration related enquiries you may have, for example: enquiries relating to EDI Centre Approval; centre induction and training; Campus user guidance; Campus Technical Support, including IT support for online and offline examinations; the progress of an order or a query relating to a candidate registration; the progress of results, issues with claims including manual claims and certification; invoice queries. EDI logs and monitors response times to all queries to Customer Services in order to achieve ongoing customer service standard improvements. 14

17 Support materials for Functional Skills EDIs dedicated support materials will provide you with information about Functional Skills qualifications, how EDI is involved and how we can support you through the launch from 1 September. We provide a wealth of information for you including EDI practice assessments for you to trial, FAQs, key dates, timings and links to other useful sites. Further information and support materials can be found on our website by clicking on Functional Skills either from the drop down menu or by clicking on Qualifications search. You will need to be a registered centre to gain access to our full range of support materials including on-screen guidance, written sample assessments and on-screen sample assessments. Our support materials include: podcasts check up assessments on screen assessments demonstration activities FAQs overview factsheet case studies EDI C EDI complaints and appeals procedure Details relating to all aspects of complaints and appeals for centres, including circumstances under which a centre or learner is entitled to appeal can be found by contacting our enquiries team on If you have an enquiry about your results please complete the Enquiry about Results form which is attached at the back of this support pack. All complaints will be responded to within 3 working days. EDI Equal Opportunities Policy EDI operates an Equal Opportunities Policy, further details of which can be found on our website 15

18 Scheduling Tests This section guides you through the process involved in scheduling tests and re-sits for candidates you have previously registered for qualifications. Step 1 Select Test Scheduling from the menu on the left hand side of the screen. Step 2 Tests and examinations are organised into the same categories as the qualifications they are part of. Select the Business Sector you require from the list. For example, Customer Service is listed under Customer Service. Alternatively if you know the specific unit/test code or unit description, you can enter these details in the selection field and click Search. Step 3 Having identified the required business sector, you are now ready to select the specific product. You will only be presented with those products that your centre is approved to deliver. Alternatively, you can click on the information bubble next to the unit description to ensure that the unit relates to the product for which the candidate is registered. Select the product you wish to schedule against and then continue to step 4. 16

19 Step 4 Select the assessment method by clicking the drop down boxes. You will be presented with a number of options for how the test is to be delivered: On-Demand: Series: On-screen: Offline: Paper based test, taken when required. Paper based test, taken on a particular day specified by EDI. Computer based test taken at over the internet. Computer based taken using EDI Offline whilst not connected to the internet If taking on-screen or offline tests, please make a note of the centre code, order number and candidate number. This information can be found on the attendance register. Step 5 A calendar icon appears at the right hand side of the box. Click on the calendar icon and choose the date of the test. You can only select dates that are valid for the assessment method selected and you can only schedule a single test using a particular assessment method on a particular day. The calendar icon will appear like the one shown below: If a test is already scheduled on that day, click on the day to bring up a link to the order. You can then jump to the order and click Edit Registration to add/remove a candidate to the existing test. Step 6 Click Continue. You are now ready to select the candidates for the test. 17

20 Step 7 Click the check box next to the candidate(s) you want to sit the test. If you have many candidates registered for the qualification, you can use the search box above the list to find a particular candidate (an example is shown below). Candidates remain available on this list to sit a test until they pass the test, so they do not need to be re-registered if they require a re-sit. Step 8 When you have selected all the candidates you want to sit the test, click Save. An acknowledgement screen is displayed showing you details of the order for the test. Scheduling re-sits You schedule a re-sit for a test in the same way as scheduling the original test. Candidates are only removed from the list of available candidates for a test once they have passed the test, not if they fail. 18

21 Making Claims This section guides you through how to make claims. If you wish to claim single units during the candidate s programme, you may do so, or wait until the end of the programme to claim full awards. Step 1 Select Enrolment Search from the menu on the left hand side of the screen and the following screen will appear: Step 2 Enter Search criteria, click Search and the results will be displayed as shown below: Step 3 Click the + sign on the left hand side of the results listing. This will open up the order details. 19

22 Step 4 Click anywhere on the order details to access the Claims Screen as shown below: Step 5 Select the unit(s) you wish to make the claim against by ticking the relevant boxes. If you claim all units together it will result in a message advising you that your claim will result in a unit claim. Step 6 Select the Internal Verifier from the drop down box on the right hand side of the screen. EDI administration will ensure that approved IV names appear, in addition to any countersigning IVs where an IV is working towards V1. If your IV is still to be approved, please select Countersigning IV from the drop down box on the right hand side of the screen. 20

23 Step 7 Click Process Claim. Please note: If you do not have direct claim status, you may make the claim but your EV will have to approve it. Step 8 Click OK if you wish to proceed with the unit claim, otherwise click Cancel. If proceeding with the claim, you will see the screen below: Enter the purchase order number you would like to appear on the invoice for the certificate and click Continue to proceed. The following screen will appear: 21

24 Step 9 If you wish to claim a unit certificate, click Yes. However, please remember that you will not be charged at the point of claiming but will be charged for each unit certificate requested. If you do not wish to proceed, please click No. The list of units will appear with the Status column updated to show whether a claim or certificate has been requested. Below are three examples of the messages you might receive and explanations. 22

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