[Pearson's Paper Based on Demand Functional Skills, English and Maths Levels 1 and 2]
M1: Chris, could you explain why Pearson has decided to introduce a paper based on demand
offer for functional skills?
M2: Over the last two years we've had many conversations with our customers about what
they felt they needed for their centres, and for their learners, and what they wanted was
less restriction in terms of the assessment, so we currently have a series based offer
which is eight windows-a-year, and centres actually felt they wanted more access to our
tests. Introducing paper based on demand has given us an opportunity to align our on screen
and our paper based offer, so they follow a very similar model.
M1: Can you explain a bit more about the benefits to centres and to learners?
M2: I think the major benefit is around the flexibility of the assessment, learners can
now take an assessment on paper when they are ready to take the assessment, rather than
waiting for a window that we have put in place. Centres can book a test up to 14 days in advance,
we will send the papers out and then the learner can sit the test when they are ready. What
differences will our centres see with our on demand offer?
M1: I think the main differences will be in the entry process, initially they will need
to make a registration for each learner on Edexcel online, once they've registered a
learner they can then go on and make a test booking for each of those learners. Previously
for the series based tests centres can make those entries via EDI, for the on demand version
they will have to make those entries via Edexcel online. In terms of what will not look different,
the actual papers themselves will look very familiar to centres and to learners as well,
the format of the on demand paper is the same as the format of the paper we've used previously
for the series based offer.
M2: Is there any difference in terms of administration for the centres?
M1: There shouldn't be, no, what they will receive is a pack of test papers as they do
now, they will receive an attendance register as they do now, there will be a return envelope
and a yellow label to return papers to Pearson after the tests have been taken, so that is
all the same as the process that works now for series based assessments. The differences
will be where there may well be more than one test version being used, so for the series
based we have one test paper in circulation, for on demand you may receive more than one
test paper when you make test bookings for multiple learners. To help centres we will
provide a bespoke attendance register with each pack of papers, we will also provide
a place card for each learner which will contain the learner details and the paper they should
be taking, so then the exams officer can then set the exam room up so that learners can
transfer that data across to the test paper immediately. For these series based tests
centres receive feedback via ResultsPlus on how learners have performed, what feedback
can they get for the paper based on demand tests?
M2: The feedback for the paper based on demand is slightly different in that we do it via
coverage and range, not individual question. However, that's where the differences end,
we feel the information that centres will receive will be just as beneficial and will
allow centres to actually access the strengths and weaknesses of the individual learners
with ease.
M1: How quickly can centres make entries for resits for example?
M2: They can make an entry for a resit as soon as they've got the result through if
they feel they need to, we would obviously advise that they would look at the feedback
that we provided and use our support resources such as ExamWizard to help create a bespoke
learning package for those learners. One other difference as well is that the results themselves
will come back more quickly to the centres, we have a 28-day SLA for results with our
on demand offer of paper based and on screen and we find that 95 per cent of those results
come back within ten days.
M1: Thanks Chris, so there's more information available on the website for centres?
M2: Yes, there is.
[Questions? Please contact us. wblcustomerservices@pearson.com - FEsupport@pearson.com]
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