Preliminary mark: formative and summative assessment in S7
What the preliminary mark is
The preliminary mark is the school-based component of the Language 3 final mark. It is awarded by the L3 teacher in S7 on the basis of formative and summative assessment across the year. Under the European Baccalaureate regulations it contributes 20% of the subject's final mark, so it is not a formality and cannot be replaced by the written or oral examination. It rewards consistent engagement, progress against the L3 criteria, and the quality of work produced over time.
What is assessed
- Formative assessment: classwork, homework, drafts, oral contributions, peer/self-assessment, and the way you act on feedback. Formative work may not carry a formal grade, but it generates evidence.
- Summative assessment: end-of-unit tests, written assignments, oral presentations, projects, and reading/listening tasks. These provide the main graded evidence.
- Criteria: comprehension, written and spoken production, interaction, language awareness, intercultural competence, and learning skills.
- Evidence and moderation: teachers keep records of marks and observations. The preliminary mark must be defensible, consistent across classes, and moderated within the department.
Core rules and concepts
- Know the department's assessment plan: which tasks are weighted and how.
- Treat feedback as data: a corrected draft, a revised oral, or a better test score is evidence of progress.
- Contribute regularly and relevantly in class; oral participation is assessed on quality and interaction, not on volume alone.
- Keep a portfolio of written work and reflections so that you and your teacher can track development.
- Meet deadlines and follow academic honesty rules; plagiarised work cannot be credited.
Worked example
Suppose the L3 assessment plan weights oral participation 30%, written assignments 40%, and the end-of-year test 30%. A student scores 70/100 for oral participation, 80/100 for written assignments, and 60/100 on the test. The preliminary mark is 0.30 × 70 + 0.40 × 80 + 0.30 × 60 = 21 + 32 + 18 = 71/100. Reasoning: the mark is a weighted aggregate, not a simple average. The weights show where effort pays off. If the student acts on test feedback and raises the test to 75, the mark becomes 75.5. The example also shows why strong coursework can protect you, and why a weak test does not erase consistent oral work.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating the preliminary mark as “just the final exam” or as a formality.
- Skipping formative tasks because they are not formally graded.
- Ignoring written feedback and repeating the same errors.
- Dominating discussion without listening, or staying silent.
- Plagiarising or having someone else write an assignment.
- Failing to submit work: if there is no evidence, the teacher cannot award marks for it.