Coursework

Also called NEA, Non-exam assessment, Controlled assessment

Assessed work done outside an exam. Marked by your teacher, moderated by the board.

What it is

Non-exam assessment is work completed during the course and marked against board criteria — a practical, a portfolio, a performance, a piece of writing, a fieldwork investigation.

Most GCSEs now have little or no coursework; it remains significant in art, drama, music, DT, food, PE, computer science and geography fieldwork, and in vocational qualifications.

Where it applies

Subjects whose specification includes NEA. Weightings vary from a small percentage to the majority of the grade.

How it works

Teachers mark it against the board's criteria; the board moderates a sample and can adjust the whole centre's marks up or down.

Rules on help are strict: teachers can give general guidance but not specific corrections, and there are limits on drafting. Deadlines are set by the centre and are effectively final.

How to use it in your work

Read the assessment criteria before you start, and structure the work around them. Coursework marks are lost far more often to missing a criterion than to poor quality.

Keep a log as you go — decisions, sources, changes. Several specifications credit it, and it also protects you if authorship is ever questioned.

Do not leave it. It is the part of the grade you have the most control over and the part most often handed in unfinished.

Where to get help

Your teacher, and your board's specification for the exact criteria and word or time limits.