Our internal assessment procedures will conform to the following principles:

• We will provide centres with detailed assessment criteria for internally assessed components. These components may, as is appropriate to the subject specification, be termed coursework, portfolio units, fieldwork, projects, special studies, etc.
  
  
• Centres should mark the work of every candidate and arrange candidates in an order of merit, using the detailed assessment criteria or marking schemes that we have published.
  
  
• We will use trained moderators to reassess the work of a sample of candidates, using the same assessment criteria.
  
  
• On the basis of the moderator’s reassessment of the sample of work, we will make professional judgements as to whether to accept the centre’s marks/points score or to adjust the centre’s marks and, where an adjustment is required, determine what it should be.
  
  
• If there is significant disagreement between the centre and moderator about the order of merit of candidates, it may be necessary to scrutinise the work of more or of all candidates, across the whole or part of the mark range. This may result in a complete reassessment of the centre’s work.
  
  
• Mark adjustments, when made, will take into account the pattern of differences between the centre’s and the moderator’s marks with a view to bringing the centre’s marks in line with the standard being applied nationally. Unless the centre has been demonstrably inconsistent, mark adjustments will maintain the centre’s order of merit.
  
  
• Mark adjustments may involve any of the following:
  
  - the addition or subtraction of a constant number of marks for all candidates;
  - the addition or subtraction of progressively more or fewer marks across the mark scale;
  - the addition or subtraction of marks at different points in the mark range as appropriate.
  
  
• We reserve the right to adjust the marks of any candidate.
  
  
• The work of moderators will be monitored by us.
  
  
• As the work involved in internal assessment and moderation will not normally be sent to us (other than the sample sent to the moderator), it must be retained by the centre for inspection by us at any time up until the publication of results.
  
  
• An exception will be made where the work is ephemeral or very bulky and cannot, by its nature, be retained or stored by the centre. If the nature of the work is such as to make retention a problem, centres should keep sufficient evidence (documentary, photographic, audiotaped, or videotaped as appropriate) to support the assessment.
  
  
• Where material is submitted on CD or DVD, the disc submitted to the moderator is regarded as a copy. The master copy of the disc is retained securely by the centre and not sent to the moderator.
  
  
• Centres are advised to retain the assessed work of all their candidates until after the closing date for enquiries about results. If the nature of the work is such as to make retention a problem, centres should keep evidence of the type listed above, sufficient to support the assessment.
  
  
• Enquiries about results will be dealt with in accordance with our procedures. The replication of moderation can only be carried out if the head of the centre is able to confirm in writing that the work has been held under secure conditions by the centre, following the submission of the centre’s marks.