KS3 Level Descriptors

The purpose of assessment is to make both teaching and learning as effective as possible.

It provides a means of ensuring that teaching is clearly targeted and that any shortcomings in learning are identified and remedied.
It provides encouragement to students to improve their ability to learn.
It makes parents aware of their child's progress using a set of clearly defined assessment objectives.

The Key Stage 3 assessment system is based on a 1 (lowest) to 9 (highest) grade scale. The knowledge, understanding and skills needed for each grade have been set using the level descriptor matrix accessible below. Subject areas have broken down the knowledge, skills and understanding required by students across a range of assessment components which make up their subject.

While the grade a pupil achieves during Key Stage 3 may be a good indicator of possible achievement at GCSE they are not the school’s prediction of a pupil’s GCSE outcomes. Students' progress is rarely linear. However, building on strong foundations does make it much easier to access higher level content at GCSE level, and achievement at the end of year 9 will be a determining factor in choosing which qualification pathway to place students on.

Students can achieve the same grade in subsequent reports and be making progress, as the criteria becomes more challenging as students learn new content. A student achieving at the highest level will be capable of receiving a level 9 throughout years 7, 8, and 9, and this child will be likely to progress to GCSE qualifications and achieve grade 8/9 in their final examinations.