Assessment Policy and Procedure

1. Introduction

London Institute of Business & Technology aims to deliver qualifications that support a learner's career progression. Therefore appropriate assessment methods for each unit will be designed to test the learner’s knowledge through realistic and ‘work-related’ tasks wherever possible. 

Learners must demonstrate their knowledge, understanding, original thought, and problem-solving ability. Recommendations on actions will also be asked where appropriate. Intellectual rigour will be expected appropriate to the qualification level. 

Assignments will contain a question strand for each of the given unit’s Learning Outcomes (LO). The assignment tasks will address the LO and Assessment Criteria (AC) requirements. Within assignments, learners will always be required to engage with the important and relevant theories underpinning the subject area. The assignment questions will require learners to draw on real organisational settings to illustrate their answers. Mature and part-time learners will ideally be able to draw on their personal work experience too.

2. Principles of Assessment 

Learning is a positive change in skill, attitude and knowledge. Understanding and measuring the extent of these changes is the basis of assessment. Assessment is, therefore, a judgement made on work presented by the learner. In other words, it is an act of measurement, confirming that a learning outcome has been achieved at the standards related to the relevant assessment criteria. An assessment will be: 

• Accessible and relevant for learners 
• Fair and free from bias 
• Valid - based on achievement of the Learning Outcome at the standards provided 
• Sufficient - allowing the learner to generate the evidence needed 
• Manageable for learners at their level
• Completed in accordance with given timescales 

3. Assessment Planning 

Assessment must be planned to ensure it is robust, appropriately resourced and clear to assessors and learners. Learners must have every opportunity to achieve the standards set for qualification as stated in the unit specification. 

In order to fulfil this requirement, the process of assessment must be communicated. All stakeholders should be clear about the plan and the systems which will be implemented to gather learner work and make the assessment judgements. 

The following factors will be taken into account in the assessment planning. As assessment is part of the learning process and is integral to it, these factors also relate to curriculum planning:

• Qualifications are composed of individual units that cover specific topics. There are core/mandatory and optional units with pathways for specific programmes of study, and each qualification has agreed to the rules of combination. Assessment must ensure that learners have the opportunity to achieve the units needed to gain the qualification. 
• Core units often provide a foundation of knowledge for other units, so the learning and assessment in these units may need to take place first. 
• Some units require learners to complete research or undertake personal training and development. This may require an extended period when personalised learning needs to occur before the learner can submit work for assessment. 
• Assessments are set by the Institute. Any deviation from this must be explicitly approved by the Institute. 
• Learners must not embark on an assignment without knowing what is expected of them. This relates to the tasks which are set and the outputs required. Learners must have a clear understanding of the requirements of the command verbs which are provided in the Assessment Criteria (AC) and tasks.
  

4. Forms of assessment 

Assessment will be: 

• Diagnostic: This will mainly be carried out during enrolment or induction and will help to determine the right programme of study and any support the learner may need. 
• Formative: This will take place during learning and provide feedback and support about the progress made. It will also inform the learner of any action that needs to take place to ensure standards are met. 
• Summative: This assessment normally takes place towards the end of the learning programme or section of a learning programme. This type of assessment measures the extent of the learning and achievement that has taken place. Decisions on learner work will be based on whether the learner has achieved the learning outcomes at the standards provided by the assessment criteria. 

All assessors shall have participated in the training, coaching, and other forms of staff development to assist them in their roles. Assessors will not be involved in making judgements on learner work where there is a conflict of interests. If such a conflict exists, learner work will be assessed by a different assessor. 

5. Assignment submission 

It is the responsibility of learners to submit assignments for assessment as required by the tutor and in accordance with the dates provided. Soft copies of assignments must be uploaded on the Learning Management System, and the date and time of the submission will be recorded. When a learner submits an assignment after the deadline without prior discussion with the tutor, the work will not be accepted, and a fail result will be recorded. 

A student who is unable to meet an assignment deadline because of mitigating circumstances may request either an extension to the deadline or to defer the assessment.

6. Assessment performance

Each unit is graded Fail, Pass, Merit or Distinction. As well as receiving a grade for each individual unit, learners will receive an overall grade for the qualification. Each unit is equally weighted. 

• To be conferred the full qualification, the learner must pass all the units included in the programme
• To succeed in each unit, the learner must provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate the achievement of each learning outcome at the standards provided. The learner must show sufficient knowledge and/or skill and must deliver what is required by the command verbs provided in each AC. 

Where learners do not meet the standards for a Pass they will be referred and given feedback on the reasons for the decision. Learners will need to take account of feedback and resubmit any parts of the work which did not meet the standards. This includes work for extension activities. 

A deadline will be provided for the resubmission. Learners will have two opportunities to resubmit work for re-assessment. If the work still does not meet the standards, the learner will have failed the unit and need to register to restart the unit in question. 

• When a learner resubmits work for a Merit or Distinction grade, it is evaluated to see if it meets the requirements for that grade.
• The work of learners who have achieved a pass and then wish to submit additional work for merit and distinction grades will be accepted. However, the learner will need to wait for the next assessment round before judgements on the additional work are made. 

7. Assessment feedback 

All learners will receive detailed and specific feedback on their work. The feedback will be provided on the electronic copy of the submitted work and this will be returned to the learner. The feedback will clearly identify good practices, showing where and why the work meets the standards. The feedback will also identify where there are omissions, insufficiency of evidence, and/or errors. 

The feedback will be directly related to the achievement of the LOs at the standards given by the AC. All assessors will use the standard template provided by the Awarding Body for the feedback, so there is consistent practice. 

8. Notification of grades 

All internal grades awarded by the assessor will be documented using tracking grids, so the performance of the learner across each unit is recorded at LO and AC levels. Learners will have electronic access to their personal tracking grid and will have access to a record of the assessor judgements and the grade(s) awarded. 

The internal grade(s) will be provisional until the work has been internally verified and the provisional grade(s) has been sent to the Awarding Body for external verification. The actual grade(s) will not be confirmed until the external verification by the Awarding Body has been completed, and the Institute has received the report. 

In order to satisfy the requirements for the award of the whole qualification, a learner must have received a minimum number of credits as specified within the Awarding Body qualification. However, learners will receive certification for any unit(s) that has met the standards. 

9. Malpractice 

Any form of malpractice or academic misconduct will be treated seriously and if proven, will directly impact the assessment judgements. Action will be taken as per the Malpractice And Academic Misconduct Policy.

10. Verifying assessment judgements 

Assessment judgements are done based on the Internal Verification Policy. In addition, before the results are submitted to the Awarding Body for external verification, a meeting of the Assessment Group will take place. This group will include representatives from assessors, tutors, and managers and will be led by the Internal Verifier. At the meeting, this group will: 

• review the grade profile for each learner and check for any anomalies;
• check that any assessment judgements made on resubmitted work are recorded on the grid;
• check that any special considerations granted to the learner are recorded on the grid;
• check that all learner work and associated documents are available for EV sampling;
• ensure that the results are accurate enabling submission to the Awarding Body.

11. Claims of error in the conduct of the assessment process. 

If a learner believes there has been an irregularity in the assessment process, they have the right to appeal against the assessment judgements. The Appeals Policy provides information on the grounds on which an appeal will be considered, how the learner should make the appeal and how this will be managed.

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Last updated on May 23, 2023 by LIBT Policy Committee
Approved by: Sesiri Pathirane – Board of Directors

Company Name: London Institute of Business & Technology Limited
Company Address: The Nunnery, Old Castletown Road, Douglas, IM2 1QB, Isle of Man, British Isles.

Date for the subsequent policy review: May 22, 2024