Non-exam Assessment
Overview
Route B trades an exam section for an essay. Instead of sitting unseen prose at the end of a long paper, you write one extended response to a whole prose fiction text your centre has chosen, worth 30 marks and 20 per cent of the qualification. The text must not be one of the prescribed set texts, it can come from any literary period, and it can be seminal world literature as easily as it can come from the literary canon of the British Isles. The component is internally assessed and moderated by the board.
The trade looks generous and it is not free. You gain months instead of forty-five minutes, a text chosen to suit you, and the room to explore a full text in detail. You give up the safety of a question somebody else has framed, and you take on the hardest thing in literary study, which is deciding for yourself what is worth arguing about a book. This lesson is about making that decision well: how a text is chosen, how a task is framed, and how an extended response is built so that it stays an argument for several thousand words.
Objectives
- The alternative non-exam assessment option to unseen prose gives teachers freedom of choice in texts, allowing them to choose those best suited to the interests and needs of their candidates. It also gives teachers freedom to select tasks for their candidates that enable them to explore a full text in detail. It therefore provides an invaluable preparation for higher level study. Candidates will study a substantial whole prose fiction text. This text must not come from any of the prescribed set texts for this qualification. The text can be selected from any literary period and can include seminal world literature. This component will be internally-assessed. The non-exam assessment option allows a different approach to the study of literature. Some students benefit from the more open-ended possibilities of deeper research and exploration. Teachers may use this option to promote students’ independent study, or they may use the option to create threads of meaning and coherence that link to the texts studied for the examined components. When selecting a suitable text for non-exam assessment, teachers will have the freedom to choose from the literary canon of the British Isles or seminal world literature. The text selected must be similar in quality, scope and challenge to those from the prescribed list of set texts on Paper 1. Teachers will assess their students’ work using the same mark scheme and assessment objective weightings for the qualification, therefore the selected text needs to have the necessary range, scope and level of challenge in order to allow students to access the assessment objectives.
Lesson Note
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Lesson Evaluation
Congratulations on completing the lesson on Non-exam Assessment. Now that youve explored the key concepts and ideas, its time to put your knowledge to the test. This section offers a variety of practice questions designed to reinforce your understanding and help you gauge your grasp of the material.
You will encounter a mix of question types, including multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, and essay questions. Each question is thoughtfully crafted to assess different aspects of your knowledge and critical thinking skills.
Use this evaluation section as an opportunity to reinforce your understanding of the topic and to identify any areas where you may need additional study. Don't be discouraged by any challenges you encounter; instead, view them as opportunities for growth and improvement.
- How many marks is the non-exam assessment worth, and what proportion of the qualification? A. 30 marks, 20 per cent B. 30 marks, 30 per cent C. 60 marks, 20 per cent D. 60 marks, 40 per cent Answer: A
- Which text could NOT be chosen for the non-exam assessment? A. A novel from the literary canon of the British Isles B. A twentieth century novel in translation C. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie D. Seminal world literature Answer: C
- What does the specification say the coursework text must be similar to? A. The Paper 1 set texts in quality, scope and challenge B. The People and Places anthology in length C. The teacher's own favourite novel D. The unseen prose passages in difficulty Answer: A
- Which mark scheme is used to assess the non-exam assessment? A. A shorter version of the exam grid B. A separate coursework grid C. The same six-level grid and AO weightings as the exams D. The teacher's own criteria Answer: C
- The non-exam assessment replaces which section of the Route A papers? A. Anthology poetry B. Drama C. Unseen poetry D. Unseen prose Answer: D
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Work through these questions in the app
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