When formative and pre-Bac marks diverge
A 3-period Mathematics candidate has S7 A marks averaging 19.5/20 across four formative tasks (weighted equally), and a Pre-Baccalaureate B mark of 8/20. The school's preliminary-mark policy is: preliminary = 0.4A + 0.6B, rounded to the nearest integer; if |A−B| > 6, a moderation panel must review the evidence. The panel may either (a) confirm the calculated preliminary mark, or (b) cap it at B + 4, unless the candidate completes a standardised make-up task scored at least 12/20, in which case the cap is removed. The candidate's A-mark evidence includes one group project where the individual contribution is unclear, and one task completed at home. The B exam was closed-book, timed, and covered the whole syllabus. The candidate needs a preliminary mark of at least 13/20 to be exempt from a remedial mathematics module. The panel has one week before the deadline and has signalled that it is unlikely to find the A evidence fully valid.
1. Calculate the raw preliminary mark and determine whether the moderation trigger applies. Show the rounding.
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A = 19.5, B = 8.
Raw preliminary = 0.4 × 19.5 + 0.6 × 8 = 7.8 + 4.8 = 12.6.
Rounded to the nearest integer, 12.6 becomes 13.
The gap is |19.5 − 8| = 11.5, which is greater than 6. Therefore the moderation trigger applies and the panel must review the A-mark evidence. The raw calculation alone does not decide the final preliminary mark.
2. Assume the panel finds the A evidence not fully valid because of the group project and home task. Apply the panel's options and determine the highest preliminary mark the candidate can secure without the make-up task. Explain the reasoning.
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The calculated mark is 13, but the panel has two options. Option (a), confirming 13, would require the panel to accept the A evidence as fully valid. The setup says the panel is unlikely to do that: one A mark comes from a group project with an unclear individual contribution, and another was completed at home. Those are validity concerns, not merely a difference of opinion.
Option (b) caps the preliminary mark at B + 4 = 8 + 4 = 12. Because the panel is unlikely to confirm the raw 13, the highest secure mark without the make-up task is 12. The cap is an upper bound, not a guarantee: the panel could award less, but 12 is the best realistic outcome available under option (b). The candidate should therefore treat 12, not 13, as the working preliminary mark.
3. Advise the candidate on whether to take the make-up task, considering the evidence concerns and the exemption threshold. Include a risk-aware recommendation.
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Without the make-up task, the best realistic mark is 12, which is below the exemption threshold of 13. The make-up task is therefore the only route to 13: if the candidate scores at least 12/20, the cap is removed and the raw preliminary mark of 13 stands. If the candidate scores below 12, the cap remains at 12, so the downside is limited to the time spent preparing; under the stated policy there is no additional penalty.
The candidate should take the task, but prepare for it as a full-syllabus closed-book exercise, not as a narrow quiz. The make-up also answers the panel's evidence concern by providing independent, standardised evidence. The candidate should not rely on the group project or the home task. A risk-aware recommendation is: sit the make-up, aim for at least 12/20, and treat 13 as the target; if the make-up goes badly, accept 12 and plan for the remedial module rather than disputing the cap.