,Edexcel and BTEC Qualifications
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All candidates must receive the same treatment. Examiners must mark the first
candidate in exactly the same way as they mark the last.
Mark schemes should be applied positively. Candidates must be rewarded for
what they have shown they can do rather than penalised for omissions.
Examiners should mark according to the mark scheme not according to their
perception of where the grade boundaries may lie.
There is no ceiling on achievement. All marks on the mark scheme should be
used appropriately.
All the marks on the mark scheme are designed to be awarded. Examiners
should always award full marks if deserved, i.e. if the answer matches the mark
scheme. Examiners should also be prepared to award zero marks if the
candidate’s response is not worthy of credit according to the mark scheme.
Where some judgement is required, mark schemes will provide the principles
by which marks will be awarded and exemplification may be limited.
When examiners are in doubt regarding the application of the mark scheme to
a candidate’s response, the team leader must be consulted.
Crossed out work should be marked UNLESS the candidate has replaced it with
an alternative response.
, Mark schemes have been developed so that the rubrics of each mark scheme reflects
the characteristics of the skills within the AO being targeted and the requirements of
the command word. So for example the command word ‘Explain’ requires an
identification of a point and then reasoning/justification of the point.
Explain questions can be asked across all AOs. The distinction comes whether the
identification is via a judgment made to reach a conclusion, or, making a point through
application of knowledge to reason/justify the point made through application of
understanding. It is the combination and linkage of the marking points that is needed
to gain full marks.
When marking questions with a ‘describe’ or ‘explain’ command word, the detailed
marking guidance below should be consulted to ensure consistency of marking.
Assessment Command Word
Objective
Strand Element Describe Explain
AO1* An answer that combines the marking An explanation that links identification of a
points to provide a logical description point with reasoning/justification(s) as
required
AO2 An answer that combines the marking An explanation that links identification of a
points to provide a logical description, point (by applying knowledge) with
showing application of knowledge and reasoning/justification (application of
understanding understanding)
AO3 1a and An answer that combines points of
1b interpretation/evaluation to provide a
logical description
AO3 2a and An explanation that combines identification
2b via a judgment to reach a conclusion via
justification/reasoning
AO3 3a An answer that combines the marking
points to provide a logical description of the
plan/method/experiment
AO3 3b An explanation that combines identifying an
improvement of the experimental
procedure with a linked
justification/reasoning
*there will be situations where an AO1 question will include elements of recall of knowledge directly from the
specification (up to a maximum of 15%). These will be identified by an asterisk in the mark scheme.
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