Missing A marks after illness: substitute or cap?
A 3-period Mathematics candidate missed two of the four S7 formative assessments because of a documented illness. The only recorded A mark is 7/20 from a short quiz. The Pre-Baccalaureate B mark is 14/20. The school's preliminary-mark policy says: preliminary = 0.4A + 0.6B, rounded to the nearest integer; A must be based on at least three assessments. If fewer than three A assessments exist, the panel may either (i) use the available A mark, or (ii) substitute the B mark for A if the absence is documented. A completed catch-up task scored out of 20 may be added as one additional A assessment, but it cannot by itself trigger substitution. The candidate needs a preliminary mark of at least 12/20 to avoid a compulsory summer assignment. The panel meets tomorrow; the candidate has not yet sat the catch-up task. The B exam was comprehensive and closed-book. The candidate's teacher reports that the quiz was on a narrow topic and is not representative.
1. Calculate the preliminary mark under option (i) and under option (ii). Show the arithmetic and rounding.
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Option (i), use the available A mark: A = 7, B = 14. Preliminary = 0.4 × 7 + 0.6 × 14 = 2.8 + 8.4 = 11.2, which rounds to 11.
Option (ii), substitute the B mark for A: A = 14, B = 14. Preliminary = 0.4 × 14 + 0.6 × 14 = 5.6 + 8.4 = 14, which is already an integer.
The difference is substantial: 11 versus 14. Option (i) leaves the candidate below the 12/20 threshold; option (ii) clears it.
2. Determine whether the catch-up task can change the outcome if the candidate scores 15/20. Explain how the A average would be computed under the policy.
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The catch-up task may be added as one additional A assessment. With the quiz and the catch-up, the A average becomes (7 + 15) / 2 = 22 / 2 = 11. The policy does not require three assessments before this average is used; it says a catch-up may be added as one additional A assessment, but it cannot by itself trigger substitution.
Using the catch-up average: preliminary = 0.4 × 11 + 0.6 × 14 = 4.4 + 8.4 = 12.8, which rounds to 13. That clears the 12/20 threshold. If the panel instead uses option (ii), the mark is 14. So the catch-up task changes the outcome from 11 to at least 13, even without substitution. The candidate should therefore sit the catch-up; a score of 15 makes option (i) viable and also strengthens the case for option (ii).
3. Recommend a fair decision to the panel, considering the documentary evidence, the representativeness of the quiz, and the purpose of the 12/20 threshold. Include a condition to protect academic standards.
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A fair decision is to allow option (ii), substitution of the B mark for A, because the absence is documented and the B exam is comprehensive, closed-book, and timed. The only A mark is a narrow quiz that the teacher says is not representative, so using it alone would understate the candidate's achievement. The purpose of the 12/20 threshold is to ensure minimum competence, not to punish a candidate for missing assessments through illness; a B mark of 14 is stronger evidence of competence than a narrow quiz of 7.
To protect academic standards, the panel should attach a condition: the candidate must complete the standardised catch-up task and score at least 12/20, or the substitution is recorded as provisional and reviewed if the catch-up is weak. With a catch-up score of 15, the condition is met. The panel should document why substitution was granted and should not extend the same treatment to candidates without documented absence. On these facts, option (ii) is defensible; a more cautious alternative is to use the catch-up average and award 13, which still clears the threshold. Either way, the panel should record the evidence used.