A basic guide to standard setting - Version 1.8

Oct 20, 2026

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AQA normal procedures for setting standards across qualifications explain how “awarding” secures quality, consistency, accuracy, and fairness in assessment. The guide describes how standard-setting requirements and data-exchange procedures support maintained standards across subjects, awarding organisations, and different specifications year to year. It outlines where awarding fits in the examination cycle, the role of question papers and mark schemes, and why grade boundaries are determined through awarding meetings after scripts are marked.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Where does awarding fit in the examination cycle?

Why hold an awarding meeting?

Who attends an awarding meeting?

A basic guide to standard setting Version 1.8 For more information contact a member of Standards & Awarding [StandardsAndAwarding@aqa.org.uk](StandardsAndAwarding@aqa.org.uk) Introduction This leaflet is a guide to AQA’s normal procedures for setting standards in all its qualifications. These procedures comply with those specified in the various GCE and GCSE qualification-level conditions and guidance documents issued by Ofqual (links to the documents can be found below) 1 . These are generally referred to as the standard-setting requirements and are designed to promote quality, consistency, accuracy and fairness in assessment and standard setting. On occasion, alternative procedures, still within the standard-setting requirements, may be used, if necessary. The dataexchange procedures for each series (which are published on Ofqual’s website) are also observed. The standard-setting requirements and data-exchange procedures help to ensure that standards are maintained in each subject, across awarding organisations and different specifications from year to year and provide a basis for good practice in all aspects of the examining process. The process of standard setting is often referred to as awarding; it comprises determining the grade boundaries for an examination. Where does awarding fit in the examination cycle? Awarding is a crucial part of the examination process, which, once the qualification is established, begins with the setting of question papers and mark schemes and ends when the final results are produced. The examination process and all its inter-related procedures altogether take about two years to complete. An overview is given in Figure 1. Figure 1: The examination process | Finish | | --- | | Deal with
appeals | | Start | | --- | | Develop & obtain accreditation for the specification (first year only) | Appoint senior examiners (first year only) Awarding Check quality of the marking Mark scripts [1](1 www.gov.uk/government/publications/gce-qualification-level-conditions-and-requirements)[ ](1 www.gov.uk/government/publications/gce-qualification-level-conditions-and-requirements)[www.gov.uk/government/publications/gce-qualification-level-conditions-and-requirements](1 www.gov.uk/government/publications/gce-qualification-level-conditions-and-requirements); [www.gov.uk/government/publications/gce-qualification-level-guidance](www.gov.uk/government/publications/gce-qualification-level-guidance); [www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-9-to-1-qualification-level-conditions](www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-9-to-1-qualification-level-conditions); [www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-9-to-1-qualification-level-guidance](www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-9-to-1-qualification-level-guidance). Why hold an awarding meeting? In developing their question papers, examiners aim to produce papers of similar demand to those of previous years but, in practice, it is impossible to determine precisely the relative difficulty of the questions for the students until they have taken the examination. A paper may turn out to be slightly more difficult, or slightly easier, than those of previous years. Therefore, a candidate’s script given a particular mark this year cannot necessarily be assumed to deserve the same grade as a candidate’s script given the same mark last year; the demand of the paper may be different and/or the marking scheme may be more severe or more lenient. These, and further factors, must be taken into account before students’marks can be translated into grades. Consequently, once the examination scripts have been marked, an awarding meeting is held for every specification to set grade boundaries on each question paper (or other external or internal assessment), otherwise known as components. The meeting may be held remotely or face-to-face , depending on the nature of the assessments being considered, but the essential process and procedures remain the

FAQs

What is the purpose of standard-setting procedures in AQA qualifications?

They promote quality, consistency, accuracy, and fairness in assessment and standard setting, while complying with Ofqual requirements and guidance.

When does awarding occur in the examination cycle?

Awarding happens after question papers and mark schemes are set up and once scripts are marked, before final results are produced.

Why can a grade boundary need adjustment from one year to the next?

Because the relative difficulty of questions can only be determined after students take the exam, and demand may differ and marking schemes may be more severe or more lenient.

Oct 20, 2026

Upload by Aurelia