It’s safe to say this pandemic seems to be never ending and the knock on effects of it everlasting! But even with the examination period being cancelled yet again, it is still possible for distance learning students to get A-levels in 2021.
It’s understandable for students to worry that because they aren’t in a traditional school or college, that their hard work and efforts on their A-Levels may be going to waste and they will have to wait another year to sit their exams, but that isn’t the case (thankfully). As all tutors on A-Levels are qualified teachers, provided students have been submitting work regularly and have completed the course, then there is no reason why they can’t get a grade.
How do Distance Learning Students get A-level Grades?
So the main part of registering for examinations as a distance learning student remains the same. You will still need to find a local examination centre and register with them, the reason for this is they are the ones who will be submitting your work and suggested grade from your tutor to the awarding bodies.
Once you have registered with your chosen examination centre, you will need to ask them for the relevant dates and deadlines that apply to you and your courses. Once you have these, you know what you’re working towards.
From here, is where things change from the normal process. So, instead of attending the centre on a set date to do your examinations, you will instead need to submit all your course assessments, work and past papers that you have completed to the centre, along with a signed authentication form from your tutor(s). The authentication form is quite simple and your tutor will have dealt with them before. Usually, it asks for your tutor’s qualifications, confirmation that they believe all the work you have done has been your own and then the grade they feel you would have achieved had you sat your exams.
Once all your work is submitted to the awarding bodies, their assessors will review random samples of work and compare them between students on the same course. They do this to ensure that the grades being awarded are equally weighted and therefore fair. Once this has been determined, your grade will either be awarded or adjusted so it’s inline with other students’ achievements.
Finally, once all submitted work had been assessed and verified, grades and certificates are sent out to students in the normal way and you collect your results from the examination centre.
If you need further help or advice, our helpful team are happy to assist you with any questions you may have about the process. Feel free to get in touch today and ask what you need.