(Teachers) How do I ensure equality and objectivity in my centre assessment grades?

The centre assessment grades and rank orders you are providing this summer need to be fair and evidence-based to reflect what learners would have most likely achieved had learning continued as normal and they had completed all assessments.

Your judgements should continue to consider any reasonable adjustments to mitigate any adverse impact of the centre assessment grade process on individual learners or groups of learners. You know your learners best and so are best placed to accommodate any mitigating measures as you generate your centre assessment grades. 

Throughout this process, you should continue to be aware of protected characteristics to ensure that they are not affecting your judgements. These are legally defined and include a learner’s sex, race, religion/belief, disability, gender reassignment or sexual orientation. 

For vulnerable learners and learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), centre assessment grades should reflect learners’ likely achievement with any agreed access arrangements in place. Centre assessment grades should also take into account any extenuating circumstances that may have impacted a learner’s achievement in work or assessments being used as evidence for their grade.

Ofqual has emphasised the importance of objectivity and avoiding unconscious bias in centre assessment grades and provided this additional guidance to centres.

We’ve also included advice on providing fair and objective grades in our guidance documents and our videos.