[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-620985-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":80,"doc-detail-620985-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":73,"head_meta":75,"extra_data":77,"updated_unix":79},105,"en","developing-grade-descriptions-for-the-new-gcses-considerations-and-challenges","Developing grade descriptions for the new GCSEs: Considerations and challenges","","Grade descriptions are to be developed for the new GCSE qualifications first taught from September 2015. This paper examines how grade descriptions could support teachers preparing for assessment and examiners setting grade boundaries, and it evaluates factors affecting their effectiveness. It argues that existing grade descriptions do not serve either primary purpose well. Methods for creating new descriptions are proposed, including an empirical approach using discrimination data from live examinations, followed by a post-hoc exemplification approach.",{"@graph":14,"@context":72},[15,34,55],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/developing-grade-descriptions-for-the-new-gcses-considerations-and-challenges/620985/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/developing-grade-descriptions-for-the-new-gcses-considerations-and-challenges/620985.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Quinn Holloway","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-29","2026-10-20",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":26},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",{"@type":56,"mainEntity":57},"FAQPage",[58,64,68],{"name":59,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":61},"What is the intended purpose of new GCSE grade descriptions?","Question",{"text":62,"@type":63},"They are designed to help teachers understand required performance standards and to clarify potential roles in awarding grade boundaries during assessment.","Answer",{"name":65,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":66},"Why does the paper question the usefulness of grade descriptions in their current form?",{"text":67,"@type":63},"It argues that current grade descriptions are not useful for either of their two main purposes: supporting teachers for assessment preparation or supporting examiners for setting grade boundaries.",{"name":69,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":70},"What approach does the paper propose for developing new grade descriptions?",{"text":71,"@type":63},"It outlines methods including an empirical approach that uses data from live examinations to identify items discriminating between candidates across grades, and it recommends replacing the current approach with post-hoc exemplification of grades.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":74,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":76,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":78,"site_id":7},620985,1792911508,{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":82},"success",[83,87,91,95,100,105,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":84,"show_sort_weight":85,"slug":86},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":88,"show_sort_weight":89,"slug":90},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":92,"show_sort_weight":93,"slug":94},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":96,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":97,"show_sort_weight":98,"slug":99},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":101,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":106,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":131},{"doc_id":78,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":111,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":26,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145},2336474466712,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","Centre for Education Research and Practice  \nDeveloping grade descriptions for the new GCSEs: Considerations and challenges  \nStuart Cadwallader  \nAbstract  \nGrade descriptions are to be developed for the new GCSE qualifications that will be first taught from September 2015 (Ofqual, 2014) . This paper discusses the potential role of grade descriptions in the new qualifications by exploring their purpose and the issues which impact on their effectiveness. It is argued that grade descriptions, in their current form, are not useful for either of their two primary purposes: supporting teachers as they prepare students for assessment and supporting examiners as they set grade boundaries during awarding. Possible methods for developing new descriptions are outlined, with particular attention given to an empirical approach whereby data from live examinations is used to identify items which discriminate between candidates at different grades (e.g. Greatorex, Johnson, & Frame, 2001) . It is proposed that the current approach to grade descriptions should be discontinued and replaced with post-hoc exemplification of grades that will better meet the needs of teachers while also more accurately reflecting the nature of the assessment system.  \nIntroduction  \nGCSEs and A-levels, the major national qualifications in England, are currently being reformed and the new specifications are to be first taught from September 2015 (Gove, 2013a, 2013b) . For the new GCSEs, policy makers have stipulated that assessment is to demand higher performance for the award of key grades: ‘At the level of what is widely considered to be a pass (currently indicated by a grade C), there must be an increase in demand, to reflect that of highperforming jurisdictions’ (Gove, 2013b, p. 2) . In response, stakeholders have expressed a desire to understand how the new grade scale will compare to the old one (YouGov, 2013) . Teachers consider it important that they have a clear understanding of what they are aiming for so that they are best placed to help their students to reach these higher levels of performance. Clarity is also sought by end users of the new GCSEs, those who will use the grades as the basis for selecting applicants for employment or education.  \nTo assist with the transition, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) are promoting a rethink about grade descriptions (sometimes referred to as grade descriptors or performance descriptions) . Greatorex (2005) defines grade descriptions as ‘   indicators which exemplify the qualities candidates are likely to exhibit if they achieve a particular grade’(p.9) . They are essentially a qualitative articulation of the skills and attributes associated with performance at that grade. Grade descriptions can be thought of as an important link between examiners and teachers because they serve to make examiners’ implicit understanding of performance standards explicit (Greatorex, 2002; Sadler, 1987) .  \n[cerp.org.uk](cerp.org.uk)  \nCopyright © 2014 AQA Education and its licensors. All rights reserved.  \nAQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (registered charity number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (company number 3644723) . Registered address: AQA, Devas Street, Manchester M15 6EX.  \nOfqual have posited a plan for the first year of the reformed GCSEs:  \nWe propose that for the first year we will write three illustrative and general grade descriptions for grades towards the top, the bottom and in the middle of the grade range 1. These descriptions will be primarily to help teachers understand the standard of performance expected at these points. So far as possible, these descriptions will describe the key characteristics and levels of achievement we might expect. We do not propose that these descriptions, which will be untested, should be used for awarding in the first year; we propose awarding should be based on statistical predictions. We will t","cbCaihUg46Gg2KW1","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaihUg46Gg2KW1","pdf",452631,15,"English","# Introduction\n## Grade descriptions and their intended purpose\n## Transition to the reformed GCSEs\n## Origins of grade descriptions in England","[{\"question\":\"What is the intended purpose of new GCSE grade descriptions?\",\"answer\":\"They are designed to help teachers understand required performance standards and to clarify potential roles in awarding grade boundaries during assessment.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does the paper question the usefulness of grade descriptions in their current form?\",\"answer\":\"It argues that current grade descriptions are not useful for either of their two main purposes: supporting teachers for assessment preparation or supporting examiners for setting grade boundaries.\"},{\"question\":\"What approach does the paper propose for developing new grade descriptions?\",\"answer\":\"It outlines methods including an empirical approach that uses data from live examinations to identify items discriminating between candidates across grades, and it recommends replacing the current approach with post-hoc exemplification of grades.\"}]","Developing grade descriptions for the new GCSEs: Considerations and challenges | PDF",1792464829,38]