Posted: 14 August 2020
Yesterday (Thursday 13 August) many learners across England, Wales and Northern Ireland will have received results for their A Levels, BTECs, Technical Certificates and other vocational qualifications.
At YMCA Awards we do not issue results for our qualifications on a specific date each year but we have now printed and dispatched all certificates claimed and quality assured whilst the team have been working from home. This is to ensure that, wherever possible, learners can receive their YMCA Awards certificate with their results for other qualifications.
We know that this year has been an incredibly difficult time for learners and for our centres; we have all had to navigate a changing set of circumstances to ensure the best outcomes for learners. Working within the extraordinary regulatory framework provided by Ofqual, we have been able to issue achievement to many of our learners, enabling them to progress to the next stage of their learning or employment, despite the extraordinary circumstances that we have all found ourselves in this year.
The approaches that we have used to enable learners to achieve their qualifications are bespoke to the qualifications we offer and based on the evidence available. For this reason, our model may be different from the approaches that other awarding organisations have used for their VTQ qualifications. The statistical standardisation approach – the grading algorithm – used in A Levels and GCSEs has not been used for any YMCA Awards qualifications. Instead, the standardisation activity we do involves review of learner assessment evidence.
We are confident that we have applied our arrangements fairly and in accordance with our processes to ensure that all learners that achieve YMCA Awards qualifications during this period, as at any time, are in receipt of qualifications that carry real value in the sector.
We continue to work with all our valued customers to quality assure learner assessment evidence and issue certificates to learners who have taken, or are taking adapted assessments.
To discuss any queries regarding our approach, the status of any outstanding claims for achievement and routes for feedback or appeals please get in touch.
Fiona Summers
Head of Quality and Assessment