The grading process – how we ensure quality
When we set the position of grade thresholds, we use a variety of sources of evidence. We look at statistical evidence, such as the performance of comparable groups of candidates in the current exam series and in a previous exam series (usually the same series a year previously). We also consider judgemental evidence, such as the principal examiner’s view about the difficulty of each question paper.
Our highly trained assessment staff know how to use appropriate evidence to grade each component of a qualification – our different assessments test a variety of skills and content and are taken by different numbers of candidates, so the same balance of evidence is not appropriate in every case. Our extensive experience working with schools around the world also means that, when we make grading decisions, we know how to account for changes in the cohorts of candidates taking our qualifications.
Our grading decisions are made by experts who document and justify each step in the decision-making process. The decisions are not made automatically by a computer. The initial decisions are reviewed by a second expert team to make sure all qualifications have been graded accurately, fairly and comparably, and finally they are reviewed by our most senior staff.
We continually research the awarding standards of our qualifications and how these compare to those of equivalent qualifications. Our research teams work with senior assessment specialists to review the comparability of the content and skills requirements of our syllabuses and question papers. Our statistical experts analyse results data to assess comparability, such as the outcomes for cohorts of candidates who have taken a mixture of different qualification types at the same level, such as IGCSE and GCSE. As is common practice across awarding organisations, we make fine adjustments if there is evidence of any divergence of standards in either direction.
We also work with external agencies to verify the awarding standards of our qualifications. For example, in 2019, a benchmarking study by UK ENIC, the national agency in the UK for the recognition and comparison of international qualifications and skills, found that Cambridge IGCSE is at a comparable level to the reformed GCSE in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Alignment of our awarding standards and what this means
Awarding standards are aligned between two different qualifications when it is overall not easier or harder to achieve a given grade in one qualification, such as IGCSE, than it is to achieve the equivalent grade in the other qualification, such as O Level. The alignment of awarding standards works at the level of the whole cohort of candidates in each qualification. For individual schools, working with smaller numbers of candidates, results may not always appear aligned because of local differences in teaching, learning and exam preparation.
The alignment of our awarding standards at Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge International AS & A Level with standards in England applies for all our Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge International AS & A Level subjects, even when there is not a directly equivalent subject offered in England. Likewise, the alignment of our awarding standards at Cambridge IGCSE and O Level applies both for the subjects that we offer at Cambridge O Level and IGCSE (using the same or different assessment models), and for the subjects we offer only at Cambridge IGCSE or only at O Level.