These qualifications are assessed through the completion of externally set tasks written and provided by Ascentis International. The tasks must be carried out under examination conditions. Separate assessment papers are available to assess the Reading & Writing, Listening and Speaking components of the qualification. Sample assessments are available to download from www.anglia.org.
Assessments will only be available during predetermined assessment periods throughout the year. Details of the timing of these assessment periods can be found through contacting the Anglia Examination Syndicate office +44 (0)1243 812943 or by visiting www.anglia.org.
The Reading & Writing and Listening papers are externally marked. Following the completion of the assessments the centre must return all papers to Ascentis International following the instructions provided. Ascentis International will then mark the completed papers and return the results to centres by the agreed date.
The Speaking assessment is either carried out by an external examiner or internally marked, depending on the centre’s status. Assessments at Level 2 and Level 3 must be carried out by an external examiner.
In cases where the Speaking assessment is carried out internally, tutors must mark the candidates’ performance using the mark schemes provided. The candidates’ work is then subject to external moderation. There is no requirement for internal moderation. Results are returned to centres on the same date as the Reading & Writing and Listening results.
Copies of assessment papers and recorded materials for the Reading & Writing and Listening assessments will be sent to the centre by the beginning of the assessment window. These must be stored in the centre under secure conditions, until the assessment date.
Further information on the secure storage of assessment materials and the conduct of the assessments for invigilators, examination officers and candidates are found in the Appendices.
If a candidate fails a unit, the units that were successfully achieved can be banked and carried forward to subsequent assessment windows; for the following assessment window such candidates need only complete the component/s in which they were previously unsuccessful.
Overall achievement at each level is graded according to the candidates’ performance. The grades available are Pass, Merit and Distinction. Grade boundaries can be moved and adjusted according to how individual assessment papers perform. However, the grade boundaries would normally be anticipated to be as follows:
| Ascentis Anglia ESOL International Level | Refer | Pass | Merit | Distinction |
| Entry 3 | <50% | 50 - 64% | 65 - 79% | 80% + |
| Level 1 | <50% | 50 - 64% | 65 - 79% | 80% + |
| Level 2 | <50% | 50 - 64% | 65 - 79% | 80% + |
| Level 3 | <50% | 50 - 64% | 65 - 79% | 80% + |
In cases where the Speaking unit is not taken marks are calculated by weighting the Listening % by 0.2 and the Reading & Writing % by 0.8. In cases where the Speaking unit is taken marks are calculated by weighting the Listening % by 0.2, the Speaking % by 0.2 and the Reading and Writing % by 0.6.
In both cases the resulting marks are added together and then graded using the table.
The assessment must be completed in centres under examination conditions with an invigilator present. The invigilator should not be the tutor that has delivered the course.
All evidence from the completion of the tasks within an assessment session should be collected and delivered to the Examinations Officer who will dispatch them to Ascentis.
Further information on the secure storage of assessment materials and the conduct of the assessment, for invigilators, examination officers and candidates are found within the Appendices.
A record of the outcomes of the Listening and Speaking tasks must be made by taping/digitally recording the evidence. Ascentis requires that all of each candidate’s performance must be recorded. Recordings may be provided in a variety of formats as long as each candidate’s evidence is easily accessible to the external assessors and moderators. There is no requirement for internal moderation.
Candidates and the tutor/assessor must clearly identify themselves on the tape at the beginning of the task, together with the date of assessment and the level of the task. Each candidate’s performance should be identified using a rev counter or its equivalent. Completed mark sheets for each candidate must also accompany the recorded outcomes. All candidates’ evidence must be made available for external moderation.
The use of a dictionary is not permitted during any of the assessments.