Assessment Strategy, Version 1
VRQ Qualification
Level 4 Certificate in Waste and Resource Management
Assessment Strategy
Version 2, June 2014
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Assessment Strategy, Version 2
Contents
1. Guidance and Assessment Strategy .......................................................................................................... 3
2. People and terminology involved in the VRQ delivery, assessment and quality assurance process ....... 4
3. Unit Achievement and Timescales ............................................................................................................ 6
4. Assessing the unit assignment: ................................................................................................................. 7
5. Moderation of Assessment for the Unit Assignment(s) ........................................................................... 8
Appendix 1: Form for Submission of Unit Results for VRQ ........................................................................... 9
Appendix 2: Authenticity Form for VRQ Unit Assessments ........................................................................ 10
Appendix 3: Glossary of Words used in the Assessment/ Marking Criteria ............................................... 11
Notes ........................................................................................................................................................... 13
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Assessment Strategy, Version 2
1. Guidance and Assessment Strategy
The Level 4 Certificate in Waste and Resource Management (QCF) is delivered as a VRQ style
qualification (the term VRQ is used to differentiate the qualification from a total competence based e.g.
NVQ type qualification). It is made up of a total of 6 Units. Units 1 to 5 are Mandatory Units and Unit 6
has six versions of which the learner must choose one: 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e and 6f currently. Further
options may be added at a later date. The relevant ‘Unit 6’ is chosen to match the site requirements of
the learner. Further details can be found in the Award Structure and copies of the individual units.
Each Unit will usually be ‘taught’ in a classroom/e-learning environment with the Learning Outcomes for
each unit assessed by a written assignment issued by the Centres following WAMITAB approval. . Each
assignment will cover one unit. A proportion of the assignments will be based on an appropriate
sustainable waste management facility (usually the learner’s site, existing or proposed). Where learners
do not have a proposed or existing site, the assignment should be based on a site with which they are
familiar. If the learner wishes to use RPL to exclude them from the need to have teaching then they will
just be asked to do the assignment for each unit. However it is extremely important for centres to
discuss the content and outcomes with the learner to ensure they do not require participation in the
learning before assessment.
The completed Unit Assignments should be submitted for internal assessment and quality assurance,
preferably electronically. Once they have been assessed and internally moderated they will be
submitted to the External Moderator. This submission must be electronically. If they are originally
submitted to the centre in a written format, the centre must scan them into a digital format so they can
be submitted to the External Moderator.
Successful completion of the Certificate will be achieved when the learner attains ALL Assessment
Criteria for every Unit. (Units 1-5 plus the relevant ‘Unit 6’)
Centres should ensure that learners understand the ‘taught and tested’ approach to this qualification. If
necessary literacy and numeracy should be checked to ensure achievement is possible, and
supplementary skills development qualifications offered where basic skills do not allow learners to fulfil
the necessary requirements for assessment by assignment.
If the learner has any disabilities, or barriers are perceived which may make the standard assessment
procedure unacceptable, then it is possible for the Centre to request an appropriate Reasonable
Adjustment. Requirements for Reasonable Adjustment should be discussed with the relevant External
Moderator for each learner affected. A Reasonable Adjustment is any action that helps to reduce the
effect of a disability or difficulty that places the learner at a substantial disadvantage in the assessment
situation.
Each year centres will also come together for a standardisation session led by the WAMITAB External
Moderators to ensure standards are maintained across centres and across the units.
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2. People and terminology involved in the VRQ delivery,
assessment and quality assurance process
Trainer: the person who delivers the learning on behalf of the centre. The trainer must not be the
person who does the final assessment for the unit they deliver. The trainer should have the appropriate
knowledge base and must demonstrate regular CPD to ensure an up to date knowledge of the technical
content and the assessment for this qualification. The trainer may also act as a mentor/supporter for
the learner and be involved in checking drafts of the assessment or if the learner fails to achieve the LOs.
(See further detail later in this document).
Assessor: The assessment or marking of candidate output must be undertaken by suitably qualified and
competent assessors, who are not the tutors or the individuals responsible for delivering learning
material to the candidate being assessed. Each assessor should maintain professional competence by an
effective programme of recorded Continuing Professional Development.
The assessor must also have an appropriate assessor qualification, and though it is not a requirement for
assessors to hold the most recent version of the assessor qualification, it is considered best practice for
assessors to have achieved the relevant VRQ assessment unit: Level 3 Assess Vocational Skills,
Knowledge and Understanding or the L3 Award in Assessing Vocationally Related Achievement.
Alternatively, assessors may hold appropriate teaching qualifications, recognised to give them Qualified
Teacher Status (QTS). Qualifications such as Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLLS),
Qualified Teacher Learning Skills (QTLS), and Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) will be
acceptable, though these are not a regulatory requirement for assessment of these qualifications
provided that the assessor has an alternative assessor qualification.
All assessors, regardless of qualification background, should assess according to the standards set by
Level 3 Assess Vocational Skills, Knowledge and Understanding.
The Assessor must not be the trainer who delivered the unit content.
Internal Moderator: An Internal Moderator is someone appointed by the Centre to internally moderate
the Assessment standards and accuracy of the marker. This should be done by a complete reAssessment of a sample of the work using the Assessment content and requirements. It is completely
different from the Internal Verification process used for NVQ/QCF qualifications, as its purpose is to
ensure consistency and accuracy of the actual Assessment using the Assessment criteria. Moderation
should happen as soon as possible after the initial Assessment so that certification is not held up. The
moderation should be recorded and made available to the External Moderator at the next visit or earlier
if requested.
Internal Moderators must hold a relevant Internal Verifier qualification to ensure that the complete reassessment of a sample is done to recognised standards. Whilst it is not a regulatory requirement to
hold the most recent version of this qualification, it is considered best practice for Internal Moderators
to have achieved the relevant VRQ quality assurance unit: Level 4 Internally Assure the Quality of
Assessment
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Alternatively, internal moderators may hold appropriate teaching qualifications, recognised to give them
Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Qualifications such as Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning
Sector (DTLLS), Qualified Teacher Learning Skills (QTLS), and Post Graduate Certificate of Education
(PGCE) will be acceptable, though these are not a regulatory requirement for internal moderation of
these qualifications provided that the internal moderator has an alternative internal verifier
qualification.
All Internal Moderators, regardless of qualification background, should quality assure to the standards
set by the unit L4 Internally Assure the Quality of Assessment.
External Moderator: someone appointed by WAMITAB to sample the assessment of the Unit
Assignments to ensure consistency of assessment and proper application of the Assessment
requirements. This person may also be the Centre EV although that is not always the case. Centres will
be told who the External Moderator is for their VRQ. This person will receive the Unit Results form and
then request learner work for sampling. Centres should liaise with the External Moderator to determine
sample size. The External Moderator should quality assure to the standards of Level 4 Externally Assure
the Quality of Assessment.
Authentication
For each Unit Assignment the learner is required to sign an authentication statement declaring the work
as their own (see Annex to this document). When assessing the unit assignments assessors should look
carefully for authenticity and plagiarism issues. If there is any thought that the work is not that of the
learner, e.g. because the language used changes throughout the unit assignment, then the assessor
should require the learner to have a discussion regarding some of the content to ensure that there are
no plagiarism issues. If the language issue is raised then the course trainer, who may be better placed to
compare the learner’s usual language style to that used in the assignment, can be consulted by the
assessor. Equally it is useful for the work of learners from the same site or location to be carefully
checked against each other for plagiarism. Pasting un-referenced answers into internet search engines
is also a good tool when checking for plagiarism.
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3. Unit Achievement and Timescales
Each Unit comprises a number of Learning Outcomes and related Assessment Criteria. Learners are
tested for their knowledge and understanding of each Unit by sitting an assignment. Centres are
required to develop assessment materials against the stated assessment criteria. Centres must send
proposed assessment materials to WAMITAB for approval prior to use. The assignments can be done
away from the centre. Learners will be required to achieve all units within 12 months of registration
with WAMITAB and should be made aware of this requirement before commencing the course.
Learners who do not achieve all units within the 12 month period will be required to re-register for the
qualification with WAMITAB. Learners will then be required to undergo assessment of those units, or
parts of units, that they have not achieved. There will be no maximum number of assignment
submissions and Centres may manage this as appropriate. Centres may choose to allow learners to
submit the first draft of the assignment to the trainer (not the assessor) so that the trainer can check:
a) the depth of content is at the right level;
b) each learning outcome is met;
c) the timeframe appears to have been complied within terms of the amount produced.
The trainer should not, obviously, tell the learner the correct answers but just clarify the above to
support the learner to achieve success for the unit.
If the learner cannot complete the qualification within the 12 month period because of illness or
unexpected occurrences outside of their control such as bereavement etc. then Special Consideration
should be applied for by the centre to the External Moderator. Doctor’s certificates etc. will need to be
submitted as evidence. WAMITAB will then consider the circumstances and advise whether extra time
can be allowed. Extra work commitments and planned holidays are not accepted as part of special
considerations, so the learner’s employer should be made aware of the 12 month requirement before
registering the learner for the course.
The assignments can be done under ‘open-book’ conditions, which mean that the learner can use all
sources of information available to them for further learning or within their answers, providing that they
reference anything copied directly from books, leaflets, course materials, company materials, websites,
etc. In each case they should put where the copied work is taken from: page number, author, date of
issue or web link and date of accessing. This ensures that plagiarism can then be more easily identified
where no referencing has taken place.
Unit Certificates will be awarded to learners at any such time as the Centre claims them. Learners who
are unable to achieve the full qualification will also receive Unit Certificates. In all instances the learner
must achieve all Assessment Criteria in the relevant Unit for a Unit Certificate to be issued.
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4. Assessing the unit assignment:
Each unit assignment will be assessed by an assessor who is independent of the training process.
The assessor will determine with reference to the Assessment Guide/unit content requirements (shown
on a unit template against each Assessment Criteria) whether the learner has achieved the minimum
requirements for each assessment criteria to record the answer as successful. Trainers delivering the
course should ensure learners understand how much they need to write for each answer.
WAMITAB has produced a guidance document detailing the various verbs used in the Assessment
Criteria and suggestions for what is required to meet the verb requirements.
Assessors will judge the learner’s response in accordance with the Assessment Guide and determine
whether the answer can be considered correct. Assessors will judge the accuracy of response to each
part of the assignment using the typical answers/content provided in the Assessment Guide as an
example of the responses expected. However, if they think the answer is valid but not included in the
Assessment Guide they should check with their External Moderator or WAMITAB before accepting the
response.
Resubmission if Pass (achievement of all Assessment Criteria) is not achieved
If a learner does not achieve all Assessment Criteria in the assignment then the Centre is permitted to
request additional information to be submitted by the learner. The request should be put in writing to
the learner and/or trainer and state which Assessment Criteria have not been answered correctly or in
enough detail but should not obviously state the answers required. The trainer/assessor may then
contact the learner (preferably by phone or face to face) to discuss the issues and guide the learner
towards completion (without giving them the right answer). The learner will then need to revise the
answers previously submitted in writing and re-submit them to the assessor. There is no limit on the
number of resubmissions that may be required, provided that the full qualification is achieved within a
12 month period.
The Assessment process should include the assessor annotating in the right margin of the submitted
answer where he/she believes each relevant Assessment Criteria has or has not been achieved.
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5. Moderation of Assessment for the Unit Assignment(s)
Assessment of the qualification assignments should be Internally Moderated. Sampling should be based
on the experience of the Moderator in Assessment of VRQs against Assessment criteria rather than
assessment of QCF Competence qualifications or earlier NVQs, and should be completely separate to
the more traditional Internal Verification process.
5.1 Unit Assignment Moderation
The Internal Moderator should determine a sample based on risk assessment of the process and
subsequently either:
agree the Assessment decisions by ticking against the learners sampled or
disagree the Assessment decisions, and put comments as to why the Assessment is not agreed. The
assessor should then adjust the Assessment or re-assess for all learners if relevant.
This process can all be done electronically if at all possible.
If any learner is required to re-submit the assignment or part of it, following the moderation process,
then these should be sent automatically to the Internal Moderator for checking after the assessor has
carried out a re-assessment.
Centres should develop a plan of assessment and moderation, including an indication of timescales for
assessment, submission for moderation and moderation processes. This plan should be discussed with
the individuals responsible for these functions to ensure that learners are not disadvantaged by the
logistical workings of the process.
The achievement record (see attached form) for learners should be prepared once successful
assessments have been achieved. Centres are given opportunity to manage the timescales for
submitting this to the moderator (as above). The record should then be submitted to the External
Moderator who will then determine a sample based on risk assessment from across the scripts (not
necessarily the ones sampled by the Internal Moderator) and request these to be sent to him/her for
External Moderation.
Until the results have been agreed as valid by the External Moderator then submission of results to
WAMITAB for unit claims should not be made.
Once the External Moderator has agreed Direct Claim status the centre may use their own quality
assurance process as above and then submit the achievements to WAMITAB as normal. Direct Claim
Status will be given to each Centre on an individual basis and should be discussed with the EM. All
certificated assessments should be retained (with the required assessment documentation) for the
External Moderator to quality assure those assessments if required. To maintain the Direct Claim status,
centres are required to inform the External Moderator of each direct claim so that the EM can request
units for ongoing quality assurance. This will be done electronically as and when the External Moderator
requests. Centres may also be required to bring a selection of claimed assessments to the annual
standardisation meeting.
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Appendix 1: Form for Submission of Unit Results for VRQ
Centre Name:
Learner Name:
Date of initial training course:
Learner Number:
Please complete the form below which determines learner’s state of achievement.
Unit achievement:
Assessor:
Internal Moderator:
Centres should send this form to the External moderator electronically and the External Moderator
will then respond requesting which scripts are required for the moderation process.
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Appendix 2: Authenticity Form for VRQ Unit Assessments
This form should be completed and submitted by each learner and each assessor for each unit
assessment.
Learner Name:
WAMITAB Learner Number:
Unit Title:
Date of Training Course for this Date of required submission of unit Centre Name:
unit:
assessment :
Notice to Learners:
The work you submit for assessment must be your own. You may be disqualified from at least the unit
concerned if you copy from someone else, allow another learner to copy from you, or if you cheat in any
other way. All information used within this assessment but owned/produced by someone else should be
referenced with the author/website/title to show that you are not suggesting this is your work.
Declaration of Authentication
I have read and understood the Notice to Learners above. I have produced the attached work without
assistance, other than that which my centre has explained is acceptable within the assessment strategy.
Learner Signature:
Date:
Declaration by Centre-Assessor
I confirm that the learner’s work was conducted under the conditions laid out by the specification. I
have authenticated the learner’s work and am satisfied that to the best of my knowledge the work
produced is solely that of the learner.
Signed (Centre-Assessor):
Date:
Name (Block capitals):
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Appendix 3: Glossary of Words used in the Assessment/
Marking Criteria
Explain: show an understanding of the content/process mentioned. Include what it is, how it works,
what it looks like, what it does, how it happens, why it happens, relevant reasons. The answer should
make it plain or comprehensible.
Describe: provide a vivid picture of what it is. Use of imagery, adjectives and adverbs make it vivid and
more understandable. Describe may also convey an idea and impart facts.
Evaluate/Justify: learner must look at whatever the required content/process, etc is and suggest other
the relevance/significance/ possible outcomes/results/ possibilities. It is the process of exploring,
checking and suggesting a likely outcome with reasons
Analyse: look at something/a process/etc using given classifications/principles to gain a further
understanding
Demonstrate: a doing verb which requires the learner to show they can actually do whatever the AC
requires. The learner will have to provide evidence of them actually doing the requirements of the
AC/task. It is about application of knowledge and skills rather than just talking about them. The
evidence for this can be the learner showing that they have done it by nature of documentation, video,
etc.
List: produce a number of relevant items which apply to the question. Further description is not
required.
Identify: for most ACs this requires the learner to list and describe what is required or relevant to
produce a required outcome or requires the learner to make choices to achieve a particular aspect of
their job. At levels 4, 5 and 6 this would require the learner to say what is available, make the choice
and then to explain or justify why the choice was made.
Develop: Build a process or activity or understanding either from scratch or forward from the existing
product into something workable.
Manage: after a development process ensure that the product/process etc works using relevant
management techniques. This is very much a “doing” activity.
Apply: put something into action – a “doing” task which requires “real” evidence from a workplace
scenario.
Implement: A “doing” task. After a development process, ensure that the product/process is actually
employed and/or used by self and others during work activities.
Differentiate: look at the characteristics of an item or situation and explain the differences.
Distinguish: look at the characteristics of an item or activity and explain the difference. Use this
evaluation to pick an appropriate item/activity in the context of the requirements of the assessment
criteria.
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Compare: look at the characteristics of an item or activity and note the similarities and differences. This
is more often used at level 1 and 2.
Critically Compare: look at the characteristics of an item or situation, note the similarities and
differences and their respective positive and negative aspects. In some cases, the can include the use of
the comparison in context as the basis for decision making. This is generally used at level 3 and above.
Recognise: be aware of, familiar with and able to identify an activity or product.
Terms often used to provide a qualitative benchmark for assessment evidence
Appropriate – provide evidence which is specific to the assessment criteria and relevant to the
operation.
Suitable – Due consideration has been given to the context of the site/waste type/operation/safety
regulations in the formulation of the response/evidence.
Compliant/compliance – Evidence/response meets clearly defined operational and/or regulatory
guidance in relation to the work activity.
Constructive – Possibilities for positive improvement have been considered, perhaps with examples of
suggested improvements and the positive/negative aspects of the work activity.
Proper – that which would be expected based on the regulatory/operational/procedural guidelines for
the work activity.
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Notes
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WAMITAB
Peterbridge House
3 The Lakes
Northampton
NN4 7HE
Tel: 01604 231950
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.wamitab.org.uk
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