Standards moderation

What is standards moderation?

This is the means by which many awarding bodies ensure consistency across centres, and ensure that national standards are being maintained and applied.

Awarding bodies have systems for direct centre claims for certification, subject to centres meeting certain requirements with regard to their systems and procedures. This makes the standards moderation process more like external verification.

How do standards moderation and external verification differ?

Unlike external verification, standards moderation is about monitoring the outputs rather than internal quality systems. A standards moderator will be a key skills specialist who will re-mark a given proportion of completed portfolios, looking at key skills - not vocational - content.

• Where centre decisions are found to be in line with national standards, candidates will be able to proceed to certification (subject to having passed the external assessment).
• Where national standards are not being met the standards moderators will indicate what action the centre needs to take before any candidates can gain certification. This may involve a second standards moderation to confirm this has been carried out effectively.

The standards moderator will sample completed portfolios. However, decisions regarding certification will be made on a whole-centre basis, not programme area by programme area and will thus apply to both sampled portfolio candidates and non-sampled portfolio candidates. It is vital, therefore, that effective internal verification/moderation has been carried out prior to standards moderation.

External verification will similarly sample portfolios but in addition the verifier may need to consider other information e.g. internal verification records, staff qualifications, internal systems and procedures which might be linked to an action plan.

Where does standards moderation take place?

Standards moderation will usually take place by means of a centre visit, but in some cases it may be carried out by post. Please contact your awarding body for further information as to their arrangements for standards moderation, other quality assurance procedures and any documentation requirements.