Coursework

What is coursework?

Coursework is defined as any type of assessment of candidate performance that is set and marked by the teachers in a candidate's school or college. Typical coursework activities include extended essays, project work and investigations, practical, oral and performance activities that happen over a period of time, possibly outside the classroom, and that involve skills other than recall and writing. Such internally assessed work is externally moderated by the awarding body to ensure that the teachers' marking is consistent and reliable. Coursework components feature in 65% of GCE and 90% of GCSE qualifications.

Why coursework?

Coursework allows awarding bodies to assess skills and knowledge that cannot validly be assessed by means of an externally set and marked examination paper taken under formal, controlled conditions. For example, coursework permits the assessment of practical skills, research skills or oral activities. The inclusion of a coursework component is intended to increase the validity and reliability of the assessment of a qualification. It has also been found to have a motivating effect on many candidates, particularly those who feel that they do not perform well under examination conditions.

Awarding body responsibilities

The Code of Practice places many responsibilities on awarding bodies with regard to providing guidance to teachers about the setting, marking and internal moderation of coursework tasks. Awarding bodies are also required to provide clear instructions to centres regarding the administration of coursework marking and the recording and submission of marks.

QCA review of coursework

A recent QCA report 'A review of GCE and GCSE coursework arrangements' (see www.qca.org.uk/15525.html) found a broad consensus about the positive contribution that coursework brings to teaching, learning and assessment and concluded that the benefits of coursework generally outweigh any drawbacks. Nevertheless the report highlighted a number of areas of concern which need addressing.

Authentication

The Code of Practice requires candidates and their teachers to confirm that any coursework submitted for assessment is solely the work of the candidate concerned. The report found that authentication was an issue for most teaching staff, especially where coursework is undertaken as homework completed outside the classroom. Various strategies for facilitating authentication are suggested, including requiring coursework to be completed under classroom supervision and engaging in ongoing dialogue with candidates as they carry out their coursework.

Plagiarism

Seeking to pass the work of others off as one's own is clearly not acceptable in coursework assessment. Candidates may fail to acknowledge sources correctly because they are unaware of the need to do so or with a view to gaining better marks for their work. The internet has significantly increased the potential for plagiarism in all subjects and at all levels. Teachers reported that plagiarism from the internet was easy to detect if candidates were being carefully monitored. Plagiarism detection software routinely used by higher education institutions should prove to be a useful tool in investigating cases of alleged internet plagiarism.

Help and advice

The QCA report found that there was a lack of clarity about the extent to which parents and other family members and friends, teachers and other students were able to assist a student with their coursework. QCA's Coursework: a guide for parents leaflet (see www.qca.org.uk) suggests that parents may 'encourage your child to do well, discuss the project with them and provide access to resource materials. You must not put pen to paper - you must not help write the coursework'. The report recommends that the parameters for teacher involvement should be made clearer by awarding bodies.

Malpractice

The QCA report indicates that the incidence of coursework malpractice cases is small in comparison to the candidate entry. The most common coursework malpractice offences relate to collusion amongst candidates, plagiarism and over-coaching by teachers. The report recommends that the awarding bodies should ensure that they have a common and agreed understanding of what constitutes malpractice. It is also recommended that centres and candidates should be made fully aware of the penalties for both deliberate and inadvertent malpractice. These penalties include disqualification from the assessment concerned or possibly from all qualifications with the relevant awarding body.

Internal moderation

Whilst the Code of Practice requires awarding bodies to specify how teachers should carry out internal moderation in order to standardise their marking, the QCA report found an absence of guidelines in many cases. Under these circumstances teachers had adopted a variety of approaches to internal moderation. The report recommends that awarding bodies should improve the guidelines and advice they provide to centres on conducting internal moderation in order to ensure that there are agreed and consistent procedures for all specifications.