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Getting started guide

KS3 English Language assessments

For support of Pearson Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9–1) in English

Language (First teaching of GCSE from September 2015)
Text © Pearson Education Limited 2015

All rights reserved. The material in this support pack is copyright.

This KS3 support pack is not required to achieve the Edexcel GCSE (9–1)
English Language qualification. Use of this pack does not guarantee that
candidates will achieve a 9–1 grade.

About Pearson
Pearson is the world’s leading learning company, with 40,000 employees in more than
70 countries working to help people of all ages to make measurable progress in their
lives through learning. We put the learner at the centre of everything we do, because
wherever learning flourishes, so do people. Find out more about how we can help you
and your learners at: www.pearson.com/uk.
Contents

Introduction 1

Overview of assessment 2

Assessment journey 3

Measuring progress: Pearson Steps 5

Marking guidance 7
 Notice to teachers
To reflect the changes at KS2, we have produced a new KS3 baseline
test to support assessment of students who have been taught the new
2014 primary curriculum. We have also mapped the mark scheme to the
Pearson Progression Scale, allowing teachers to better understand their
students’ strengths and weaknesses. Teachers may continue to use the
existing baseline tests if better suited to your centre’s needs.
Texts include: Hard Times and Magical Mystery Treasure

Introduction
The Pearson Key Stage 3 (KS3) assessments are designed for use in Edexcel centres and
have been mapped to the requirements of the Pearson Edexcel GCSEs (9–1) in English
Language and in English Literature.
Purpose of the assessments
These tests were developed with the intention to:
• track progress across KS3
• provide baseline and summative assessment against the GCSE requirements
• prepare students for the demands of the new GCSEs
• familiarise students with the new GCSE test papers.
A baseline assessment for the start of Year 7 is available for both Literature and
Language – supplying you with a swift initial assessment and serving as a diagnostic to
inform your teaching and to introduce students to secondary study.
This assessment is accompanied by end-of-year tests for Year 7, which build upon the
baseline tests, allowing for analysis of progression. Further end-of-year tests for
Literature and Language are available for Years 8 and 9 with increasingly demanding
questions for each year.

English Language
The KS3 tests are closely mapped to the structure of the GCSE papers with relevant,
appropriately pitched coverage of the GCSE Assessment Objectives.
The KS3 English Language assessments are split into Reading and Writing sections with
Reading questions ramped up to longer, extended-answer questions. As with the GCSE,
the KS3 papers are thematic with Writing questions linked to the Reading tasks.
Research has shown that students’ focus on structure, audience, spelling, punctuation
and grammar is improved if they have already read around the topic they are then asked
to write about.
Years 7 and 8 assessments have been split into separate Reading and Writing papers (to
break up the time students sit for examination), but they are meant to be treated as
pairs (Paper 1 linked to Paper 2 and Paper 3 linked to Paper 4) and it is advisable that
testing is done in quick succession.

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Skills
The following key skills are assessed to varying degrees across the KS3 Language tests.

Reading Writing
• interpretation and synthesis • adaptation of tone/style/register for
• explanation, comment, analysis of different forms/purposes/audiences
language, structure and effect • organisation of information/ideas
• comparison • use of vocabulary and sentence
• evaluation structures, accurate spelling and
punctuation

Text choices
These are influenced by the requirements of the GCSE specification but we have also
taken into consideration the age of the students, length of the text or extract, and the
inclusion of texts on existing curriculums.
Editable
The tests are available in both PDF and MS Word formats to ensure flexibility. You can
edit the tests to suit your students and your KS3 curriculum.

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Overview of assessment
Below is a breakdown of how the Language assessments are split into papers and the
texts that are covered. For detailed information on the ramping up of questions per year
per paper, please see the KS3 assessment journey.

Year 7: baseline test

Paper 1 19th-century fiction: extract from Heidi by Johanna Spyri 40 mins

Paper 2 Imaginative or Transactional Writing 45 mins

Paper 3 Non-fiction: extract from Bookshop Memories by George 50 mins

Orwell

Year 7: end-of-year test

Paper 1 19th-century fiction: extract from Alice’s Adventures in 1 hour

Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Paper 2 Imaginative Writing 45 mins
Paper 3 Non-fiction 1 hour
Text 1: extract from Selected Letters of Raymond Chandler by 15 mins
Frank MacShane
Text 2: extract from Understanding Cat Behaviour by Dr
Gordon Roberts
Paper 4 Transactional Writing 45 mins

Year 8: end-of-year test

Paper 1 19th-century fiction: extract from Oliver Twist by Charles 1 hour

Dickens
Paper 2 Imaginative Writing* 45 mins
Paper 3 Non-fiction 1 hour
Text 1: extract from Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson 15 mins
Text 2: ‘Bristol restaurant opts for ingredients plucked from
supermarket skips’ from The Guardian
Paper 4 Transactional Writing* 45 mins

* Before sitting the Writing assessment, students may need to re-read the extracts from
the accompanying Reading paper to allow them to complete one of the writing tasks.

Year 9: end-of-year test

Paper 1, 19th-century fiction: extract from The Swiss Family Robinson 1 hour
Section A by Johann David Wyss
Paper 1, Imaginative Writing 45 mins
Section B
Paper 2, Non-fiction 1 hour
Section A Text 1: extract from Taking on the World by Ellen MacArthur 15 mins
Text 2: newspaper articles reporting on Ernest Shackleton
Paper 2, Transactional Writing 45 mins
Section B
 Assessment journey

Structure and mark

19th Century Fiction Imaginative Writing Non-fiction Transactional Writing
scheme
 AO1, AO2 and AO4 assessed  AO5 and AO6 assessed  AO1, AO2 and AO4 assessed  AO5 and AO6 assessed  three papers
 Heidi suitable for age group  one writing paper  no synthesis or comparison  one writing paper  simplified mark
 extract ~250 words  question scaffolded with  Q5 scaffolded with suggested points  question scaffolded with scheme
suggested points  Bookshop Memories suitable for age suggested points  Age related
Baseline
 SPAG scaffolded with group (one extract only)  SPAG scaffolded with expectation for 2015
suggested points  extract ~400 words suggested points cohort: 66%
 five questions
 glossary of challenging words
 AO1, AO2 and AO4 assessed  AO5 and AO6 assessed  AO1, AO2 and AO4 assessed  AO5 and AO6 assessed  four papers
 Q3 fill in table, focusing on effect of  question scaffolded with  synthesis, no comparison  question scaffolded with  simplified mark
writer’s choices  suggested points  Q2 scaffolded with suggested points suggested points scheme
 Q4 command word ‘explore’;  SPAG scaffolded with  Q4 command word ‘explore’;  SPAG scaffolded with  Age related
scaffolded with suggested points suggested points scaffolded with suggested points suggested points expectation for 2015
Year 7  Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland  five questions cohort: 90%
suitable for age group  Letters of Raymond Chandler and
 extract ~350 words Understanding Cat Behaviour
 glossary of challenging words suitable for age group
 extracts ~450 words
 glossary of challenging words
 AO1, AO2 and AO4 assessed  AO5 and AO6 assessed  AO1, AO2, AO3 and AO4 assessed  AO5 and AO6 assessed  four papers
 Q3 scaffolded with a table for  question scaffolded with  synthesis and comparison  question scaffolded with  uses GCSE mark
planning suggested points  Q3 scaffolded with suggested points suggested points scheme
 Q4 command word ‘explore;  SPAG scaffolded with and a table for planning  SPAG scaffolded with  Levels 4 and 5
scaffolded with suggested points suggested points  Q6 command word ‘explore’; suggested points separated as stretch.
 Oliver Twist suitable for age group scaffolded with suggested points  Age related
 extract ~450 words  Q7b scaffolded with suggested expectation for 2015
 glossary of challenging words points cohort: 48%
Year 8  seven questions
 Notes from a Small Island and
Guardian article suitable for age
group
 extracts ~850 words
 glossary of challenging words

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 Structure and mark
19th Century Fiction Imaginative Writing Non-fiction Transactional Writing
scheme
 AO1, AO2 and AO4 assessed  AO5 and AO6 assessed  AO1, AO2, AO3 and AO4 assessed  AO5 and AO6 assessed  Two papers
 Q4 command word ‘evaluate’;  Question scaffolded with  synthesis and comparison  Question scaffolded with  Uses GCSE mark
scaffolded with suggested points suggested points  Q3 scaffolded with suggested points suggested points scheme
 The Swiss Family Robinson suitable  SPAG scaffolded with  Q6 command word ‘evaluate’;  SPAG scaffolded with  Level 5 separated as
for age group suggested points scaffolded with suggested points suggested points stretch.
 extract ~500 words  Q7b scaffolded with suggested  Age related
Year 9
 glossary of challenging words points expectation for 2015
 seven questions cohort: 56%
 Taking on the World and Shackleton
articles suitable for age group
 extracts ~900 words
 glossary of challenging words

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Measuring progress: the Pearson Progression Steps
Pearson has developed a Progression Map and Scale for English, ages 11–16. This represents
our view of how learning progresses in reading and writing at KS3 and KS4. The progression
map identifies eight different strands of reading and writing and each of these strands is
divided into 12 Steps of progression. Students are expected to make one Step of progress per
year.

Students who are confidently, securely and consistently meeting end of KS2 Age Related
Expectations (as set out in the 2014 English National Curriculum for KS2) would be at around
the 4th Step of the Progression Scale. The Year 7 cohort starting in September 2016 will be
the first who will have been assessed against these new KS2 expectations (although they will
only have been taught the new curriculum in Y5 and Y6).

The Year 7 cohort starting in September 2015 will have followed the previous national
curriculum and will have been measured against this in their statutory Year 6 assessments. For
this cohort, a confident and secure National Curriculum Level 4 is indicative of performance at
around the 3rd Step of the Progression Scale. To support the 2015 cohort through this
transition period, our senior examiner team created Year 7 assessments indicative of the 3rd
Step to ensure that subject confidence is maintained and enthusiasm fostered.

Students who are confidently, securely and consistently meeting age expectations in 2015
might be expected to achieve as follows:

 at least 66% in the baseline Y7 test

 at least 90% in the end of Y7 test
 at least 48% in the end of Y8 test
 at least 56% in the end of Y9 test.
Progression Step marking grids
To help you translate the marks in the Years 8 and 9 assessments, we have provided marking
grids that indicate the Step at which students may be working. However, these test results
give only one indication of the student's performance and should be used in conjunction with
teacher judgement about their performance.
It is worth stressing that one of the great values of the Progression Map and Scale is how it
can be used for formative assessment. For example, the Progression Map can support a more
detailed consideration of student performance across the different strands of the Scale; it can
help with identifying areas of weakness and offers barriers and boosters to help move students
on in specific areas.

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 KS3 English Language (Y8 and Y9)
Total marks
Marks Indicative step
1–42 1st Step
43–53 2nd Step
54–65 3rd Step
66–76 4th Step
77–89 5th Step
90–100 6th Step
101–111 7th Step
112–122 8th Step
123–133 9th Step
134–145 10th Step
146–156 11th Step
157–160 12th Step

KS3 English Language (Y8 and Y9) KS3 English Language (Y8 and Y9)
Reading Writing
Total marks Total marks
Indicative
Marks Indicative step Marks
step
1–21 1st Step 1–21 1 Step
st

22–26 2nd Step 22–26 2nd Step

27–32 3 rd
Step 27–32 3rd Step
33–38 4th Step 33–38 4th Step
39–44 5th Step 39–44 5th Step
45–50 6th Step 45–50 6th Step
51–55 7th Step 51–55 7th Step
56–61 8 th
Step 56–61 8th Step
62–66 9th Step 62–66 9th Step
67–72 10th Step 67–72 10th Step
73–78 11th Step 73–78 11th Step
79–80 12th Step 79–80 12th Step

At Year 7 we have focused the assessments on the 3rd Step. Further guidance will be issued to
support assessment of Year 7 students who are working above the 3rd Step. Once students
under the new 2014 national curriculum reach secondary level, we will review the KS3
assessments and age related expectations and we will provide appropriate additional support.
Markbook
An Excel Markbook has also been created to help relate test scores to indicative Steps on the
Progression Scale. The Markbook will be available on the Edexcel website Autumn 2015.

For more information about the Progression Map and Scale, click here.

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Marking guidance
General guidance

 All candidates must receive the same treatment.

 Teachers must mark the last candidate in exactly the same way as they mark the first.
 Mark schemes should be applied positively. Candidates must be rewarded for what they
have shown they can do rather than be penalised for omissions.
 Teschers should mark according to the mark scheme.
 Where some judgment is required, mark schemes will provide the principles by which
marks will be awarded and exemplification/indicative content will not be exhaustive.
 Crossed-out work should be marked unless the candidate has replaced it with an
alternative response.
Year 7 guidance
The Year 7 assessments have fewer levelled questions than the Years 8 and 9 papers as the
mark scheme diverges at this stage from the GCSE format. Students are also able to access
full marks. This reflects the level at which the test papers are pitched and we felt this would
help to build confidence with GCSE-style assessments at an early stage in students’ secondary
education.
For schools using the Pearson Progression Map and Scale for English (11-16), further guidance
will be issued to support assessment of Year 7 students who are working above the 3rd Step
(see above).
Years 8 and 9 guidance

Years 8 and 9 end–of-year assessments closely match the GCSE sample assessment mark
schemes to enable clear progression links from the KS3 papers to the GCSE assessments. We
encourage that it is made clear to students that they are not expected to get full marks for
these KS3 tests.

Exemplars for the GCSE Sample Assessment Materials are available on the Edexcel website.
We recommend reading the examiner comments to familiarise yourself with what is expected
at each level.
Specific marking guidance for Years 8 and 9
 The marking grids have been designed to assess student work holistically. The grids
identify the Assessment Objective being targeted by the level descriptors.
 When deciding how to reward an answer, teachers should consult both the indicative
content and the associated marking grid(s). When using a levels-based mark scheme,
the ‘best fit’ approach should be used.
 Teachers should first decide which descriptor most closely matches the answer and
place it in that level.
 The mark awarded within the level will be decided based on the quality of the answer
and will be modified according to how securely all bullet points are displayed at that
level.
 In cases of uneven performance, the points above will still apply. Candidates will be
placed in the level that best describes their answer according to the Assessment
Objective described in the level. Marks will be awarded towards the top or bottom of
that level depending on how they have evidenced each of the descriptor bullet points.
 Indicative content is exactly that – it consists of factual points that candidates are likely
to use to construct their answer. It is possible for an answer to be constructed without
mentioning some or all of these points, as long as they provide alternative responses to
the indicative content that fulfil the requirements of the question. It is the teacher’s
responsibility to apply their professional judgment to the candidate’s response in
determining if the answer fulfils the requirements of the question.
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