Uniform Marks in, V, NVQ and S xaminations Version 2.0 www.aqa.org.uk
1 Introduction Schools and colleges sometimes enquire about the operation of the Uniform Mark Scale (UMS). This leaflet explains why the UMS is necessary and how it works. It is intended for examinations officers and others who have a reasonable understanding of the examination system and of the terminology used. Uniform marks are used for all, V, NVQ and modular S specifications (including S pplied (ouble ward)), as well as for nonmodular S Mathematics and most S Modern oreign Languages specifications. 2 Why the Uniform Mark Scale is necessary In a conventional nonmodular examination (ie in most Ss and many pre02 Levels), all candidates take the papers in the same examination series. fter scaling 1 the raw marks to comply with the papers' weightings, candidates' marks are added together to give them total marks for the examination as a whole. Using the grade boundaries set by the awarding committee, candidates' subject grades are then determined from these total marks. Modular specifications on the other hand allow candidates to take the module (or unit) examinations in different series. andidates who complete a, V, NVQ or modular S course in any given series are likely to have taken the units on a variety of occasions. It is possible that the papers for a particular unit are at slightly varying levels of difficulty, so that, for example, a mark of 45 in January 04 represents the same level of achievement as a mark of in summer 04. It follows that some method must be found of putting the marks from different series on a common, or uniform, scale so that both 45 (from January) and (from the summer) have the same value when contributing to an overall grade. 1 The term 'raw mark' denotes the original mark given when a paper is assessed. The 'weighting' of a paper is its contribution to the total assessment: for example to say that the weighting is % means that the paper accounts for % of the total assessment. Raw marks often have to be multiplied by some scaling factor (eg 1.5) in order to give them the correct weighting. The new marks are called 'scaled marks'. See Section 7. 2 common scale is used for all and V specifications across all awarding bodies and another common scale is used for all S pplied (ouble ward) specifications. However, there are variations across other S specifications which use a uniform mark scale. See ppendix. crude method of resolving the problem described in the previous paragraph would be to award just grades to candidates for each unit. The grades could then be equated to points (for example, =5, =4, =3, =2, =1 for /V or *=, =7, =6, =5, =4, =3, =2, =1 for S) and each candidate's points could be added to give that candidate a points total for the subject as a whole. However, this method would have several disadvantages: for example, it would need to be modified if the units were not equally weighted. or an individual unit it would give a candidate who had obtained a low mark within a particular grade the same credit as a candidate who had obtained a high mark within that grade. The Uniform Mark Scale has been developed to avoid these disadvantages, although it is, in effect, a more sophisticated version of the points system just described. It allows the 2 same scale to be used, irrespective of the weightings of the units. It gives greater credit to a candidate who has obtained a high mark within a particular grade than to one who has obtained a lower mark within that grade. 1
3 How the Uniform Mark Scale works The relationships between uniform marks and grades are shown on the back of candidates' results slips and in the document RS/IN, which is distributed to centres with the results. They are shown in ppendix to this leaflet. urther details on how the Uniform Mark Scale varies between different qualifications are given in Section 4. Table 1 shows typical grade boundaries for a unit which is marked out of and which has % weighting. The second column shows the raw mark boundaries. or example, the grade boundary (ie the lowest mark for grade ) is 61 (approximately 76%). The third column (which is extracted from Table (a) in ppendix ) shows the 3 uniform mark boundaries. or a unit with % weighting, the maximum uniform mark is and uniform marks in the range correspond to grade. This does not mean that the paper is marked out of or that a candidate has to score % of the raw marks (/) to obtain grade on the unit. candidate who scores 61 (the lowest raw mark for grade ) will receive a uniform mark of (the lowest uniform mark for grade ). Similarly, a candidate who scores 43 will receive a uniform mark of and a candidate who scores 49 will receive a uniform mark of. raw mark between 43 and 49 corresponds to a uniform mark between and ; for example, a raw mark of 46 (exactly half way between 43 and 49) corresponds to a uniform mark of 66. This is illustrated in igure 1. 3 s explained in Section 2, the difficulty of the papers for a unit may vary from one examination series to another. Therefore, the raw mark grade boundaries may vary. However, the uniform mark grade boundaries, for a unit with % weighting, are always the same. 4 The use of N is explained in Section 5. xactly the same principles apply for other qualifications that use uniform marks, eg NVQ and modular Ss. When a candidate has completed all of the units, his/her uniform marks are added together. The overall subject grade is then determined using the appropriate table in ppendix. or example, in Level a candidate with a total uniform mark of 9 would obtain grade, while a candidate with a total uniform mark of 299 would obtain grade [see Table (a) in ppendix ]. Similarly, in Q S Mathematics a candidate with a total uniform mark of 4 would obtain grade, while a candidate with a total uniform mark of 415 would obtain grade [see Table (f) in ppendix ], although there is some restriction on the grades available, as explained in Section 4.5 below. Q S Modular Science works differently see Section 4.7. Table 1 unit with maximum raw mark and accounting for % of the Level assessment: typical raw mark grade boundaries, together with the uniform mark boundaries rade 4 Lowest raw mark in grade (max ) 61 55 49 43 37 31 orresponding uniform mark (max ) 4 2
igure 1 onversion to uniform marks (for part of the mark range) for the data in Table 1 95 Uniform 5 75 65 66 55 46 45 55 65 Raw 4 Uniform Mark Scales for different qualifications 4.1 and V y interawarding body agreement, the uniform mark grade boundaries in and V are always at the following percentages of the maximum uniform mark for the unit or qualification: %, %, %, %, %. lso by interawarding body agreement, the maximum uniform mark for an dvanced qualification is 0 (dvanced Subsidiary is 0 and dvanced V: ouble ward is 0). Therefore, the uniform mark grade boundaries for an dvanced qualification are 4 (= % of 0), 4 (= % of 0), 3, 0, 2, as shown in Table (a) of ppendix. or a unit which accounts for % of the total dvanced assessment, the maximum uniform mark is (= % of 0). Therefore, the uniform mark grade boundaries for such a unit are (= % of ), 4 (= % of ),,,, as shown in Table (a) of ppendix and in Table 1 in Section 3. In V, the units are all equallyweighted and therefore all have a maximum uniform mark of, with grade boundaries,,,,. 3
4.2 NVQ NVQ has a similar Uniform Mark Scale to and V, with a maximum uniform mark of for each unit. ecause there are six units, the maximum uniform mark for the whole qualification is 0. The uniform mark boundaries are at the following percentages of the maximum uniform marks: istinction %, Merit %, Pass %. 4.3 Portfolio units in V and NVQ In V the portfolio units are initially marked out of (16 in NVQ). The mark out of is the raw mark for the unit, and it is converted to a uniform mark in the same way as for any other type of unit. Since the grade boundaries out of for portfolio units are fixed, the conversions are always the same, as shown in ppendix. 4.4 S y interawarding body agreement the uniform mark grade boundaries in Ss which use uniform marks (except Modern oreign Languages) and in all S pplied (ouble ward) specifications are at the following percentages of the maximum uniform mark for the component, unit/module or qualification: * %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %. ach S pplied (ouble ward) consists of three units, with a maximum uniform mark of for each unit and 0 for the qualification as a whole. The assessment patterns vary for other Ss which use uniform marks and the maximum uniform marks therefore also vary across specifications. etails for Q are given in ppendix. 4.5 S Mathematics In nonmodular S Mathematics (Specification ), candidates take all papers in the same series, in contrast to other examinations where uniform marks are used. Therefore, the justification outlined in Section 2 does not apply. Uniform marks are used in this specification because coursework, which is a common component covering three tiers, would contribute considerably less than the intended % to the overall assessment if the marks were combined in the same way as in other nonmodular subjects. or all awarding bodies, UMS replaces the special scalings which were used in the 199 02 S Mathematics syllabuses to overcome this problem. In written papers, oundation tier and Intermediate tier candidates will not be awarded uniform marks which correspond to a grade above the maximum available for the tier. or example, the maximum uniform mark available for an Intermediate tier written paper is 191 (top of grade ). However, candidates who fall below the bottom grade for a tier do 4
obtain some credit. or example, uniform marks below (bottom ) are available for an Intermediate tier written paper. espite the availability of these uniform marks, it is not in candidates' interests to be entered at a tier which does not correspond to their expected performance, as (apart from a small 'safetynet', which is explained in Section 5 below) the 'rate of exchange' is likely to decrease rapidly below the bottom grade. In order to meet the Qualifications and urriculum uthority (Q) requirements, the grade awarded in S Mathematics (Specification ) is restricted by the tier of entry. or example, a candidate entered for the Intermediate tier cannot receive a grade outside the range, even if his/her total uniform mark appears to imply a different grade. Thus, an Intermediate tier candidate with a total uniform mark of 2 would receive grade rather than grade [see Table (f) in ppendix ] and an Intermediate tier candidate with a total uniform mark of 2 would receive Unclassified rather than grade. similar arrangement applies in Specification, where the grade is restricted by the tier of entry of the terminal module. These restrictions apply to all awarding bodies' specifications. 4.6 S Modern oreign Languages s in the case of nonmodular S Mathematics, the reasons for using uniform marks outlined in Section 2 do not apply to S Modern oreign Languages Specification. Uniform marks are used in these specifications because candidates may take the components (skills) at different tiers, making it impossible to add up the raw marks in the normal way. The Uniform Mark Scale in S Modern oreign Languages specifications is consistent with the points system which it replaced in 03. Under that system, which was used for tiered syllabuses with four equallyweighted components (Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing), points on each component were awarded as follows: *, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. The new Uniform Mark Scale has a maximum uniform mark of for each component, with the following uniform mark grade boundaries: *,,,,,,, [see Tables (h) and (i) in ppendix ]. Thus, in this scale * is /9 of the maximum, is 7/9, is 6/9 and so on. oundation tier candidates will not be awarded uniform marks above top (59). However, Higher tier candidates who fall below bottom do obtain some credit uniform marks below are available for Higher tier components. espite the availability of these uniform marks, it is not in candidates' interests to be entered at the Higher tier if they are expected to perform at a lower level, as (apart from a small 'safetynet', which is explained in Section 5 below) the 'rate of exchange' may decrease rapidly below grade. The same thresholds are used in Q's modular specifications [see Table (j) in ppendix ], with the same maximum uniform mark (3) as in the nonmodular specification. Thus Module 1, which accounts for 15% of the total assessment, has a maximum uniform mark of 54 (15% of 3). The uniform mark grade boundaries for this module are * (= /9 of 54), 42 (= 7/9 of 54),,,, 1,, 6. 5
4.7 S Modular Science (Specification ) [see Table (l) in ppendix ] S Modular Science does not work in the same way as other specifications which use uniform marks. irst, uniform marks are used only for the module tests. They are not used for the subject as a whole. The raw marks for each test are converted to uniform marks, then these uniform marks are added together for all of a candidate's tests (using the better mark if the candidate has taken a test twice) to give the candidate's mark for the socalled module tests component. This mark is then combined with the marks for the other components using the normal procedure for nonmodular examinations. Second, the grade equivalencies in Table (l) in ppendix are given for guidance only. The grade boundaries for the module tests component as a whole (which consists of 3 or 6 module tests) are not necessarily 3 times, or 6 times, the boundaries shown in the table. These component grade boundaries are determined when the information from the other components is available at the end of the course. 5 Notional N and the 'cap' The tables in ppendix refer to a notional grade N. There is also a notional grade above the highest available grade called the 'cap'. Notional N and the cap are used in the 5 conversion of raw marks to uniform marks. They apply only at unit level, not at qualification level. They are used in order to ensure that, on conversion to uniform marks, raw marks have the same value just above and just below the boundary for the highest available grade and the same value just above and just below the boundary for the lowest 6 available grade. consequence of using the cap is that a candidate with a raw mark below the maximum may sometimes obtain the maximum uniform mark. 5 The term 'unit' is used to refer to unit, module or component, as appropriate. epending on the specification, it may be that marks for units, marks for modules or marks for components are converted to uniform marks. or example, in S Religious Studies Specification marks for units are converted to uniform marks, in S Modular Mathematics (Specification ) marks for modules are converted to uniform marks and in S Mathematics Specification marks for components are converted to uniform marks. See ppendix. 6 Notional N is not used below grade in S specifications. igure 2 shows diagrammatically the conversion to uniform marks for the data in Table 1. It extends igure 1 to cover the whole mark range. The plotted points correspond to grade boundaries (including the maximum mark, the cap, notional N and zero). It can be seen that: (i) the slope of the graph is the same on both sides of grade, indicating that raw marks have the same value just above and just below this boundary; (ii) similarly, the slope is the same on both sides of grade ; (iii) candidates with a raw mark above the cap obtain the maximum uniform mark (). 5.1 alculation of the cap in a or V unit The mark width between the and raw mark boundaries is doubled and added to the boundary. or example, in Table 1 the cap is 2 x 6 + 61 = 73 raw marks. This raw mark is converted to the maximum uniform mark for the unit ( in this case). Thus, in Table 1, candidates with, 79, 7, 77, 76, 75, 74 or 73 raw marks will all receive uniform marks. 6
igure 2 onversion to uniform marks for the data in Table 1 Uniform 1 0 0 Use of cap makes the rate of exchange the same on both sides of the grade boundary Raw (cap) Use of notional grade N makes the rate of exchange the same on both sides of the grade boundary (although it is different below N) 5.2 alculation of notional N in a or V unit The mark width between the and raw mark boundaries is subtracted from the boundary. or example, in Table 1 notional N is 37 6 = 31. This raw mark is converted to the appropriate uniform mark ( in Table 1). 5.3 alculation of the cap in a NVQ unit The mark width between the istinction and Merit raw mark boundaries is added to the istinction boundary (in contrast to and V, the raw mark width is not doubled). The resulting raw mark is converted to the maximum uniform mark for the unit (see ppendix Table (e)). 5.4 alculation of notional N in a NVQ unit The mark width between the Merit and Pass raw mark boundaries is subtracted from the Pass boundary. This raw mark is converted to the appropriate uniform mark in the unit, as shown in ppendix Table (e). 7
5.5 alculation of the cap in a S unit (including pplied S) Untiered specifications and Higher tier of tiered specifications (including Mathematics) The mark width between the * and raw mark boundaries is added to the * boundary. The resulting raw mark is converted to the maximum uniform mark for the unit (see ppendix Tables (f)(n)). oundation tier of twotier specifications 7 In the Higher tier of twotier specifications, notional N is the same as allowed. The mark width between the and raw mark boundaries is added to the boundary. The resulting raw mark is converted to the maximum uniform mark available in the oundation tier for the unit (see ppendix Tables (h), (j), (l) and (n)). Mathematics Intermediate tier The mark width between the and raw mark boundaries is added to the boundary. The resulting raw mark is converted to the maximum uniform mark available in the Intermediate tier for the unit. See ppendix Tables (f) and (g). Mathematics oundation tier The mark width between the and raw mark boundaries is added to the boundary. The resulting raw mark is converted to the maximum uniform mark available in the oundation tier for the unit. See ppendix Tables (f) and (g). 5.6 alculation of notional N in a S unit (including pplied S) Higher tier of twotier specifications 7 Half of the mark width between the and raw mark boundaries is subtracted from the boundary. This raw mark is converted to the appropriate uniform mark in the unit (see ppendix Tables (h), (j), (l) and (n)). Mathematics Higher tier Half of the mark width between the and raw mark boundaries is subtracted from the boundary. This raw mark is converted to the appropriate uniform mark in the unit (see ppendix Tables (f) and (g)). Mathematics Intermediate tier Half of the mark width between the and raw mark boundaries is subtracted from the boundary. This raw mark is converted to the appropriate uniform mark in the unit (see ppendix Tables (f) and (g)).
y way of example, Table 2 shows the November 03 boundaries for Q S 9 Mathematics Intermediate tier Paper 1. Table 2 Maximum (cap) rade boundaries and conversion to uniform marks for Q S Mathematics Intermediate tier Paper 1 (November 03) Lowest raw mark 74 46 32 1 11 orresponding uniform mark 191 191 16 144 4 9 The cap was not used in November 03. It is calculated here merely as an example. The raw mark boundaries are those determined by the awarding committee following the November 03 examination. The cap and notional N are calculated as described previously, that is: the cap is calculated by adding the mark width between the and raw mark boundaries to the boundary notional N is calculated by subtracting half the mark width between the and raw mark boundaries from the boundary. The uniform mark boundaries are taken from ppendix Table (f) (Intermediate tier). Note that all raw marks between 74 and inclusive are converted to a uniform mark of 191 (the maximum uniform mark available for the tier). igure 3 shows diagramatically the conversion to uniform marks for the data in Table 2 0 (cap) igure 3 onversion to uniform marks for the S Mathematics data in Table 2 Uniform 1 1 1 0 0 Raw 9
6 Raw and scaled marks In the results documentation, candidates' scaled marks (sometimes abbreviated to 'sca') are listed for each unit or component. or all V and NVQ specifications, for the majority of specifications and for all S pplied (ouble ward) specifications, scaled marks are the same as raw marks. They may be different in the small number of specifications where a unit is divided into two components. or example, if omponent 1 is marked out of, omponent 2 is marked out of and each is intended to account for % of the assessment of a unit, candidates' marks for omponent 1 must be multiplied by 2 before being added to the marks for omponent 2. Thus, a omponent 1 raw mark of out of becomes a scaled mark of out of. or omponent 2, no scaling is needed, so scaled marks are the same as raw marks. andidates' total marks for the unit are subsequently converted to uniform marks. In nonmodular S specifications (except Mathematics and most Modern oreign Languages), uniform marks are not used. candidate's marks for the various components are scaled if necessary and then added to give the total mark for the examination as a whole. ppendix Relationship between uniform marks and grades (a) Level rade boundaries in terms of uniform marks according to weighting of unit 15% 16.7% 17.5% % % Total subject % Max uniform mark 63 54 45 27 5 4 74 63 53 42 32 4 0 2 2 1 1 0 4 4 3 0 2
ppendix (b) S rade boundaries in terms of uniform marks according to weighting of unit % 33.3% 35% % Total subject % 63 54 45 27 5 4 74 63 53 42 32 4 0 2 2 1 1 (c) V rade boundaries in terms of uniform marks Unit S award dvanced award 0 2 2 1 1 0 4 4 3 0 2 (d) dvanced V (ouble ward) (e) NVQ rade boundaries in terms of uniform marks Total subject 0 9 0 7 7 6 0 5 4 istinction Merit Pass rade boundaries in terms of uniform marks Unit Total subject 0 4 3 2 11
ppendix (f) Q S Mathematics (Specification ) oundation tier * Paper 1 Written % 143 rade boundaries in terms of uniform marks Paper 2 Written % 143 oursework % 4 S award % 6 0 2 1 Intermediate tier * Paper 1 Written % 191 16 144 4 rade boundaries in terms of uniform marks Paper 2 Written % 191 16 144 4 oursework % 4 S award % 2 4 3 0 2 Higher tier * Paper 1 Written % 2 216 192 16 144 132 rade boundaries in terms of uniform marks Paper 2 Written % 2 216 192 16 144 132 oursework % 4 S award % 0 5 4 4 3 candidate's overall grade is restricted by the tier of entry.
ppendix (g) Q S Modular Mathematics (Specification ) 11 oundation tier * 11% 39 33 26 13 rade boundaries in terms of uniform marks Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4 Module 5 % 54 42 1 19% 67 57 46 34 23 % 54 42 1 % 179 1 S award % 0 5 4 4 3 0 2 1 Intermediate tier * 11% 52 46 33 26 23 rade boundaries in terms of uniform marks Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4 Module 5 % 54 42 1 119% 6 57 46 % 54 42 1 % 239 2 1 1 5 S award % 0 5 4 4 3 0 2 1 Higher tier * 11% 66 59 53 46 37 rade boundaries in terms of uniform marks Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4 Module 5 % 54 42 1 19% 114 3 91 6 63 % 54 42 1 % 0 2 2 2 1 165 S award % 0 5 4 4 3 0 2 1 11 ll Higher tier modules are shown in one table (together with Modules 2 and 4, which are untiered), but candidates may mix tiers between modules if they wish. Similarly, all Intermediate tier modules are shown in one table and and all oundation tier modules are shown in one table. candidate's overall grade is restricted by the tier of entry of Module 5. 13
ppendix (h) Q tiered S Modern oreign Languages (Specification ) and short courses rade boundaries in terms of uniform marks ach oundation tier component ach Higher tier component oursework (where available) S award * 25% 59 25% 35 25% % 3 3 2 2 0 1 (i) Q untiered S Modern oreign Languages * rade boundaries in terms of uniform marks ach component S award 25% % 3 3 2 2 0 1 14
ppendix (j) Q S Modular Modern oreign Languages (Specification ) 13 oundation tier * Module 1 (Listening) 5% 11 6 4 2 Module 1 (Reading) 5% 11 6 4 2 rade boundaries in terms of uniform marks Module 1 (Speaking) 5% 1 16 14 6 4 2 Module 2 15% 35 1 6 Module 3 % 64 56 32 16 Module 4 % 119 S award % 3 3 2 2 0 1 Higher tier * Module 1 (Listening) 5% 1 16 14 7 Module 1 (Reading) 5% 1 16 14 7 rade boundaries in terms of uniform marks Module 1 (Speaking) 5% 1 16 14 6 4 2 Module 2 15% 54 42 21 Module 3 % 64 56 32 16 Module 4 % 1 1 1 S award % 3 3 2 2 0 1 (k) Q S Religious Studies (Specification ) * rade boundaries in terms of uniform marks Module 1, 2, 3, 4 Short ourse award ull ourse award 0 1 1 1 13 In Module 1, the marks for each component (Listening, Reading and Speaking) are separately converted into uniform marks. In Modules 2 and 4, the component marks are added together before conversion. ll Higher tier modules are shown in one table (together with Module 1 Speaking and Module 3, which are untiered), but candidates may mix tiers between modules if they wish. Similarly all oundation tier modules are shown in one table. 15
ppendix (l) Q S Modular Science including separate sciences (Specification ) * oundation tier module tests (notional uniform mark grade boundaries) 34 25 15 Higher tier module tests (notional uniform mark grade boundaries) 45 35 25 23 (m) S pplied (ouble ward) specifications (except pplied Science) rade boundaries in terms of uniform marks Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 rade boundaries in terms of uniform marks * 33.3% 33.3% 33.3% ** S award 0 2 2 2 1 1 (n) S pplied Science (ouble ward) rade boundaries in terms of uniform marks * Unit 1 Unit 2 (oundation tier) 33.3% 33.3% 69 Unit 2 (Higher tier) 33.3% 45 Unit 3 33.3% ** rade boundaries in terms of uniform marks S award 0 2 2 2 1 1 16
ppendix Mark conversions for portfolio units in V and NVQ The raw marks for portfolio units are converted by Q to uniform marks using the following tables. (a) V portfolios (b) NVQ portfolios rade U Raw mark 23 22 21 19 1 17 16 15 14 13 11 9 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Uniform mark 92 4 77 73 67 63 57 53 47 43 37 33 23 15 0 rade istinction Merit Pass U Raw mark 16 15 14 13 11 9 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Uniform mark 93 7 73 67 53 47 33 27 15 5 0 17
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ontact Q Research and Statistics epartment Stag Hill House uildford Surrey U2 7XJ Tel: 013 6 6 ax: 013 0 152 More general information can be found by visiting the Q Website at www.aqa.org.uk Q 04 The ssessment and Qualifications lliance (Q) is a company limited by guarantee registered in ngland and Wales 443 and a registered charity number 73334. Registered address Q, evas Street, Manchester M15 6X. r Michael resswell irector eneral. www.aqa.org.uk