Topic 2

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• find the relevant qualification and subject pages
• go to the Teaching and Learning tab.
  
  

Here you will find our Example Candidate Response booklets which contain sample, marked candidate scripts with examiner commentaries explaining how the mark scheme has been applied. They provide a good idea of the standard at high, middle and low grades. They also give an indication of how the mark scheme has been interpreted by our examiners which is especially useful where marking occurs in bands or levels. These are based on examination materials which have already taken place and are based on example answers from candidates.

Specimen Paper Answers are created before the first live examination series and provide high grade sample answers, examiner comments and marks. (Specimen materials for each component can be found on the syllabus pages.)

For coursework components there are Coursework Handbooks.  These include example coursework responses and extracts to illustrate how coursework assessment criteria can be applied. These can be particularly helpful if you only have a very small number of candidates taking a qualification in your centre.  They can give you a solid example of the standard selected from a wider range of responses than you will potentially have had exposure to.

There is also a video available on the Public website which explains the process of internal moderation carried out by centres, and external moderation for coursework carried out by Cambridge Moderators:

Similarly, for Speaking Tests you will find a number of Speaking Test videos covering administration and delivery with sample performances and examiner marks and comments.

We also have Example Speaking Tests providing candidate performance videos (in French, Spanish and German), examiner comments on performance and the level achieved.

The Examination Resources tab contains all the past papers, mark schemes and grade thresholds for the past five years or for the duration of the qualification if it is more recent.

Different subjects use a range of approaches to assessment and marking, so depending on the type of evidence typical and appropriate for your subject you may want to make use of different support material. For example:

A teacher of mathematics collects evidence from past papers, marking them using Cambridge mark schemes and references against published grade thresholds to confirm a grade.

A teacher of English uses past papers and mark schemes, but also references the standard against ECRs.

A language teacher with a new subject uses past papers, mark schemes and grade thresholds of equivalent languages (for example, foreign, first), uses Specimen Paper Answers as a guide to understanding a high level of response.

A teacher in a coursework-based subject uses a past paper, mark scheme and grade threshold for the theory part of the course, coursework handbook for the coursework evidence to determine the standard, and the internal moderation video to help understand how to mark and moderate coursework.