New Advanced Higher Subject Implementation Events Qualifications Update: Geography

Development Process  Curriculum Area Review Group  Qualifications Design Team  Ashbrook report – July 2013  Extended Subject Working Group (50+): –Principal Assessor –Principal Verifier –Current Assessment Team  Further consultation with subject/policy experts as necessary  Internal QA review and sign-off

Key Messages  Building on strengths of current Course  Clearer descriptions of Unit competence  Minimal change needed to teaching (materials/resources will still be relevant)  Refreshed/reorganised mandatory content and Course skills  Updated command words for source-based questions in the Question Paper  Greater clarity in marking instructions (Question Paper and Coursework)

Key messages from Verification  Some centres provided clear evidence of quality assurance processes, including cross-marking, blind marking and comparing and sampling.  Internal verification processes and policies were identified and submitted by some centres  Some high-quality examples of assessor comments on candidate work, use of judging evidence tables and clear feedback to candidates  Good assessor comments for borderline candidates  Some good practice in assessor records of evidence generated orally by candidates, e.g. flash cards used by the candidate, assessor notes etc

CfE ‘Reflections’ report  Report from CfE Management Board on first year of implementation  Recommendations for Government, schools/teachers, local authorities, Education Scotland, SQA  In response to SQA recommendations we have: –Produced Higher Exemplar Question Papers (Advanced Higher exemplars will be published in December 2015) –Continuing to work via verification and Understanding Standards to support teachers in internal assessment –Working with ADES on a tool to support internal verification –Provided advice – in Unit and Course assessment documents – on combined/holistic assessment –Produced Log of Changes spreadsheets and marked up versions of Course documents, where changes have been made.

Assessment Support Schedule 2014/15 Oct 14Unit Assessment Support (Package 1) Jan 15CfE Advanced Higher Subject Update Letter Jan 15Subject Course Comparison (National 5 – Advanced Higher) Feb 15Unit Assessment Support (Package 2) Feb 15Advanced Higher Specimen Question Paper + Marking Instr. Mar 15Coursework Assessment Information Apr 15Unit Assessment Support (Package 3) Apr 15Update Mandatory Documents as required May 15 Update Unit Assessment Support as required (Course Support Notes, Unit Assessment Packs 1 and 2) Dec 15Advanced Higher Exemplar Question Paper

I