A-level Geography - Non-examined Assessment (NEA) Teaching Guide - Candidate Record Form and Marking Annotation

Oct 20, 2026

Teaching guidance for A-level Geography non-examined assessment (NEA) focuses on completing the Candidate record form (CRF), completing mark sheets, and annotating student work. It explains how centres must provide evidence for NEA assessment criteria, standardise internally awarded marks, and support moderators in checking consistent application. It details approaches for annotation, expectations for clear language using mark-scheme phrasing, and practical completion of teacher summative comments and grids.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages59

Reading Time2 h 29 min

AccessFree to download

Letter from the Geographical Association and Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)

The Independent investigation: its value and place in geography

Student guide to A-level Independent investigation titles

The Candidate record form

Example NEA proposal

Guidance on awarding marks and completion of CRF mark sheet for teachers

Addressing mark scheme misconceptions

Sample mark sheet with teacher comments

Advice on annotation of student work

Example annotation of student work

Further support and guidance

Teaching guide: Non examined assessment (NEA) This resource offers guidance to teachers when it comes to completing the Candidate record form (CRF), mark sheet and annotating student work. You will find examples of annotated work, and example CRFs with commentary to demonstrate good practice. When assessing student work it is a requirement of the A-level Geography specification that teachers provide evidence of how and why marks have been awarded against the NEA assessment criteria (page 49, section 5.5 Annotation) . This helps to facilitate the standardisation of marking within the centre and enables the moderator to check the application of the assessment criteria to the marking. Students' investigations must be internally assessed by centres and, where appropriate, the marks awarded should be internally standardised. Teachers are required to record separate levels and marks for each area of the mark scheme in the spaces provided on the marking grid, to total the overall mark in the box provided and to make an overall summative comment about the work. Teacher comments will help the moderator see, as precisely as possible, where the students have met the assessment criteria. Work can be annotated using either or both of the following approaches: • key pieces of evidence flagged throughout the work by annotation in the margin or embedded in the text • summative comments on a cover sheet, referencing precise sections or pages in the work. Annotation must be used, in addition to information on the CRF, to explain how marks were applied in the context of any additional assistance given to the student. Comments on how marks have been awarded should: • be clear and unambiguous • be appropriate to the nature and form of the work • use phrasing from the mark scheme to indicate clearly to the moderator how the student has met the assessment criteria. This applies to the annotations that are written on the work and to the comments on the marking grid included with the CRF. Version 1.0 October 2024 Contents You can use the title links to jump directly to the different sections of this non-examined assessment (NEA) teaching guide. | Section | Page | | --- | --- | | Letter from the Geographical Association and the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) | 3 | | Student guide to A-level Independent investigation titles | 5 | | The Candidate record form | 8 | | Example NEA proposal | 11 | | Guidance on awarding marks and completion of CRF mark sheet for teachers | 33 | | Addressing mark scheme misconceptions | 39 | | Sample mark sheet with teacher comments | 46 | | Advice on annotation of student work | 49 | | Example annotation of student work | 50 | | Further support and guidance | 59 | Letter from the Geographical Association and Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) The Independent investigation: its value and place in geography The Geographical Association and the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) jointly support a strengthening of the contribution of geography fieldwork and the NEA, the vehicle through which it is assessed within A-level Geography. The NEA, which has been developed by the Department for Education, is worth 20% of students’ final grade and is underpinned by the idea of independence. However, what does it mean forA-level geographers to investigate independently, and why is this so important to their studies? What does independence mean? Independence is having the motivation, knowledge, skills and capacity to carry out geographical enquiry without a reliance on teachers, parents or other students, while also recognising that there may be a need, at times, to draw on appropriate advice and guidance. For A-level Geography students to investigate independently, they need to be able to pose geographical questions that are worth investigating. They then need to pursue their questions as part of their own appropriate sequence of enquiry. This should draw on their own and others’ da

FAQs

What is the Candidate record form (CRF) used for in the NEA process?

The CRF records information for the NEA and supports how marks are awarded. Teachers must complete it alongside mark sheets and explanatory annotation so the moderator can verify how marks were applied against NEA assessment criteria.

How should teachers annotate student work when assessing NEA?

Annotation should either flag key evidence throughout the work or use summative comments on a cover sheet referencing precise sections or pages. In addition to CRF information, annotation must explain how marks were applied in the context of any additional assistance given to the student.

What standards must teachers follow when awarding and recording NEA marks?

Teachers must provide clear, unambiguous comments using wording from the mark scheme to show how students meet assessment criteria. Centres must internally assess investigations and, where appropriate, internally standardise marks, recording separate levels and marks for each mark-scheme area on the marking grid and adding an overall summative comment.

Oct 20, 2026

Uploaded by Olivia Brown