Last updated: 06 Oct 2008

The functional skills assessment principles are a means of regulating and evaluating the pilot qualifications from a range of awarding bodies as well as providing the necessary degree of consistency and comparability during the pilot phase. These arrangements have proven successful in the first year. The changes to the assessment principles for the second year are not significant but do require further development work on the pilot assessments.

The second year principles provide a greater level of detail to ensure that the awarding bodies clearly understand and are confident about the expectations for functional skills assessment design and delivery from September 2008 – September 2009. The changes have been informed by the assessment standardisation and development activities and the pilot evaluation reports.

The dispersed assessment development model deliberately invites a range of expertise and approaches in the pilot phase and provides a degree of flexibility so that developments can be informed by pilot activity and evaluation work. However, it is essential in this collaborative context that the assessment development and delivery arrangements are equitable, transparent and adhered to by all of the awarding bodies engaged in the programme.

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