Preliminary mark: missing B assessment and a deadline
In s7 History, the preliminary mark is 40% A marks (formative) and 60% B marks (summative Pre-Baccalaureate assessments). The department requires at least two B assessments. Student V has six A tasks averaging 16.5/20; two were submitted late but accepted. Her first B assessment is 11/20. She missed the second B assessment with a medical certificate; the make-up is scheduled two weeks after the school's mark-submission deadline. Her teacher proposes entering the A average as the missing B, producing 0.4×16.5 + 0.6×16.5 = 16.5. Another teacher proposes using only the B mark: 0.4×16.5 + 0.6×11 = 13.2. A third suggests a predicted B of 14, giving 15.0. The deadline is fixed by the school, but the examinations office can accept a late change only with documented exceptional circumstances.
1. Calculate the three proposals and evaluate which is defensible under the stated rules.
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Calculations: A substitution = 0.4×16.5 + 0.6×16.5 = 16.5. B-only = 0.4×16.5 + 0.6×11 = 6.6 + 6.6 = 13.2. Predicted B 14 = 6.6 + 8.4 = 15.0. The 16.5 proposal is not defensible: it replaces a summative B with formative A evidence and makes the missing assessment disappear. The 15.0 proposal is not evidence-based: 14 is invented. The 13.2 proposal uses only actual B evidence, but it breaches the two-assessment requirement and may unfairly penalise illness. The least unfair defensible route is to seek approval for a late make-up and late mark change, with the medical certificate, before finalising. If the deadline truly cannot move, enter 13.2 as a provisional evidence-based mark with a documented flag, not 15.0 or 16.5, and correct it if the make-up is allowed. The school should not choose the highest number to avoid an appeal.
2. Why can the A average not simply replace the missing B mark? How should the decision be documented?
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A marks are formative: they may include drafts, feedback, redrafts, group work and teacher support. B marks are summative Pre-Baccalaureate assessments under controlled conditions. Even if both use the same criteria, they are different evidence. Substituting 16.5 would make V's preliminary mark incomparable with students who sat two B assessments and would reward the missing task. It would also hide a real signal: a large A–B gap may show that V performs well with support but less well under controlled conditions. Documentation should include the medical certificate, the missed assessment, the make-up date, the calculation, the provisional status, and the reason for rejecting substitution. If the school has a special-consideration policy, apply it explicitly and consistently; do not invent a predicted B. The record should allow an external checker to see that the mark was not adjusted to produce a preferred grade.
3. If the make-up cannot be held before the deadline, what is the least unfair option? Compare V with Student W, who has A 12 and B 15.
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W's final mark is 0.4×12 + 0.6×15 = 4.8 + 9 = 13.8. If V receives 16.5, she outranks W despite having only one B mark of 11; that is hard to defend. If V receives 13.2, she is just below W, but her missing B was due to documented illness, not choice. The least unfair option is not to fabricate a B. It is to keep 13.2 provisional, seek a late make-up, and if the deadline is absolute, apply a published special-consideration rule that is transparent and available to all students. A simple, defensible rule might use the available B mark but record the missing evidence; a more generous rule would require approval and a cap. Whatever the school chooses, it must not give V 16.5 simply because her A marks are high. The comparison with W shows why construct consistency matters.