Does Cambridge ICT Starters have exam papers or practical assessments?
Each module of the syllabus contains the Assessment Criteria which must be met to achieve a Pass or Merit and is accompanied by exam papers that are available through Cambridge International Direct. Once a learner has completed an assessment, the teacher should mark their work and complete a record of assessment. The record of assessment should be completed using the template ‘Learning Objectives Record Sheet’, which can be found at the end of each level in the syllabus document. A Learning Objectives Record Sheet should be completed for each learner and the teacher must sign each one to confirm that the learners have met all of the appropriate criteria.
Is it possible to amend the assessments prior to the learners taking them?
Schools can design their own assessment activities to relate them to their wider curriculum, but the amendments must be restricted to minor changes only. The changes can be made to tailor the assessment towards curriculum topics, to the local learning environment or to align them with the software used by the school.
These amendments must be approved by Cambridge International and schools should therefore submit their proposed papers to Cambridge International for approval at least eight weeks before learners take the assessment.
How does the moderation process work?
Cambridge International will request to see a sample of work completed at each level from the school (see section 4 of the syllabus). Cambridge International moderators will then make recommendations to:
- approve all marks
- approve some marks but to request that others are adjusted for a particular module or modules (for example to change a pass to a fail or a pass to a merit)
- request to see further samples of work in order to ensure that the marking has been consistent.
Can assessments be carried out in lesson time?
Yes, as long as the procedures stated in section 4 of the syllabus are followed. These procedures include the necessity for learners to be supervised, to not have access to their own files, to not receive tuition during the assessment and to complete work within a fixed time period (which is a maximum of 1 hour at Initial Steps and 1½ hours at the Next Steps and On Track levels).
How many modules do learners have to take to gain the full certificate?
Each of the levels in Cambridge ICT Starters contains two stages. The number of modules in each
level and stage is shown in the following table:
At each level, learners can complete the stage 1 modules to receive a Stage 1 Certificate (for example ‘Cambridge ICT Starters Stage 1 Certificate (Initial Steps)’). If the learners also complete all of the stage 2 modules, they will receive the Full Certificate for that level (for example ‘Cambridge ICT Starters Full Certificate (Initial Steps)’).
When preparing for each certificate (Stage 1 Certificate or Full Certificate), schools can choose to
teach the required modules in any order.
Can learners get a certificate for an individual module?
No, all of the modules for a particular certificate must be completed together.
Can learners re-sit an individual module?
Yes, learners may re-sit an individual module if they have previously failed it. Under these
circumstances, this single module can be entered to achieve either the Stage 1 Certificate or the Full Certificate.
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