The document provides guidelines for setting and moderating final integrated summative assessments (FSAs). It discusses the roles and responsibilities of certification partners, assessors, moderators, and the Services SETA ETQA in setting FSAs aligned with qualifications and ensuring quality. Moderators must ensure FSAs adequately assess applied competence at the appropriate NQF level, cover relevant standards, and use a variety of assessment methods fairly. Blooms taxonomy is referenced to guide cognitive complexity. Thorough moderation processes involving internal and external moderators are described.
2. INTEGRATED FSA
The FSA for the qualification will
focus on the extent to which a
learner can demonstrate applied
competence.
Applied competence, in terms of
the NQF is evidenced through
learner’s ability to integrate
concepts, ideas and actions in
authentic, real-life contexts and is
expressed as practical,
foundational and reflexive
competence
3. PURPOSE
The final integrated summative
assessment refers to the process of
making judgments about achievement.
This is carried out when a learner is
ready to be assessed at the end of a
learnership or full qualification. The FSA
will be set by a registered assessor
appointed by the
Certification/Outsourced Partner after
notification from the provider/assessor
that the candidates are ready.
4. FSA
Practical competence - demonstrated
ability to perform a set of tasks and
actions in authentic contexts
Foundational competence -
demonstrated understanding of what we
are doing and why we are doing it
Reflexive competence - demonstrated
ability to integrate our performances with
our understanding so that we are able to
adapt to changed circumstances and
explain the reason behind these
adaptations.
5. ASSESSMENT METHODS
In setting the FSA, SETQAA would like
Certification/ Outsourced Partners
and/or assessors to take note of the
different assessment methods and
encourage the use of a wide variety of
methods.
6. SETTING OF FINAL INTEGRATED
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT (FSA)
• Function and role of the
Certification Partner/Outsourced
Partners
The Certification/Outsourced
Partner is responsible for setting of
the FSA at NQF Level 4, with a
memorandum of model answers
and a grid showing its linkages
with the assessment criteria of the
qualification.
7. FSA
All FSA tools and memoranda, even
in draft form, are the property of the
Services SETA ETQA and may not be
revealed to, or discussed with any
unauthorized person. The highly
confidential nature of these
assessment instruments must be
safeguarded at all times.
8. FSA
If the assessment instrument and
memoranda are stored on computer,
thorough security measures must be
taken to prevent any illegal access to
these files.
The contents of the assessment
instrument must reflect the relevant
unit standards and qualification and
must not be biased towards any
particular textbook or learning
material.
9. A second assessment instrument
should be set as standby assessment
instrument. SETQAA have the right to
propose the use of either assessment
instruments for the FSA, if necessary.
FSA
10. The Certification/Outsourced
Partner must ensure that the
assessment instruments are not
identical.
The Certification/Outsourced
Partner must also ensure that
neither of these assessment
instruments are the same as any
previous assessment instruments.
FSA
11. MODERATION CRITERIA
The moderator must ensure that the
assessment instrument is aligned with
the purpose and rationale of the
qualification and that it complies with
the applicable SAQA level descriptor.
Draft assessment instruments must fall
within the ambit and in accordance
with the guideline document.
12. Functions and role of the
moderator
After the Certification/Outsourced
Partner has set the FSA instrument,
with a memorandum of model
answers, an internal moderator,
appointed by the
Certification/Outsourced Partner,
must moderate all draft assessment
instruments and memoranda for the
assessment instruments under his/her
jurisdiction.
13. Functions and role of the
moderator
During the moderation, the
assessment instrument and
memoranda are to be objectively
assessed by the moderator with
regard to the following:
14. Functions and role of the
moderator cont.
The moderator must verify that
papers set for the FSA`s are not
identical.
The moderator must verify that the
Unit Standards are appropriate to the
registered qualification.
15. Functions and role of the
moderator
The moderator must ensure that the
final summative integrated
assessment instrument is aligned
with the purpose and rationale of the
qualification and that it complies with
the applicable SAQA level descriptor.
16. Functions and role of the
moderator
The moderator must ensure that the final
integrated assessment instruments must
fall within the ambit and in accordance
with this guideline document.
The extent to which the prescribed Unit
Standards are covered as well as the
assurance that nothing is asked that is
outside the scope of the Unit
Standard/Qualification must be verified.
17. Functions and role of the
moderator
The spread and number of marks
allocated according to the weighting
and credits as per the registered
learnership/qualification must be
assessed.
18. Functions and role of the
moderator
The effectiveness of the type of
assessment methods used, written
questions, essays, paragraphs, case
studies, must be assessed.
19. Functions and role of the
moderator
The questions, terminology,
numbering, spelling, punctuation,
sentence construction, units, and
symbols must be clear,
unambiguous and grammatically
correct so that candidates will know
exactly what is expected of them.
20. Functions and role of the
moderator
The length of the assessment instrument
must take into account the time
allocated as well as reading time.
The draft assessment instrument must
be of such a length that a well-
prepared learner will be able to answer
it comfortably within the time
allocated, with reasonable time
remaining for revision.
21. Functions and role of the
moderator
It should be borne in mind that it
takes considerable time to read
through certain assessment
instruments.
The memorandum must ensure that
model answers give enough detail
for the assessor of the FSA to conduct
an accurate and fair assessment.
22. Criteria for moderation of the FSA
instrument
Standard of the paper (validity,
reliability and fairness)
Questions of various types e.g. Multiple
Choice Questions, Case studies,
paragraphs, data response, essay, etc
Questions from which candidates are to
choose – are they of equal difficulty
level
Correct distribution in terms of cognitive
levels (Bloom’s Taxonomy)
23. Bloom’s Taxonomy
In 1956, Benjamin Bloom, a professor at the
University of Chicago, shared his famous
"Taxonomy of Educational Objectives". Bloom had
identified six levels of cognitive complexity that
have been used over the past 40 years to make
sure that instruction stimulates and develops
learners' higher-order thinking skills. The Levels
are: Knowledge : Rote memory skills (facts, terms,
procedures, classification systems) Comprehension
: The ability to translate, paraphrase, interpret or
extrapolate material. Application : The capacity to
transfer knowledge from one setting to
another. Analysis : The ability to discover and
differentiate the component parts of a larger
whole. Synthesis : The ability to weave component
parts into a coherent whole. Evaluation : The
ability to judge the value or use of information
using a set of standards.
24. Bloom’s Taxonomy
1. Knowledge: remembering of previously learned material; recall (facts
or whole theories); bringing to mind.
Terms: defines, describes, identifies, lists, matches, names.
2. Comprehension: grasping the meaning of material; interpreting
(explaining or summarizing); predicting outcome and effects (estimating
future trends).
Terms: convert, defend, distinguish, estimate, explain, generalize,
rewrite.
3. Application: ability to use learned material in a new situation; apply
rules, laws, methods, theories.
Terms: changes, computes, demonstrates, operates, shows, uses, solves.
4. Analysis: breaking down into parts; understanding organization,
clarifying, concluding.
Identify parts: See Related Order; Relationships; Clarify.
Terms: distinguish, diagrams, outlines, relates, breaks down,
discriminates, subdivides.
5. Synthesis: ability to put parts together to form a new whole; unique
communication; set of abstract relations.
Terms: combines, complies, composes, creates, designs, rearranges.
6. Evaluation: ability to judge value for purpose; base on criteria;
support judgment with reason. (No guessing).
Terms: appraises, criticizes, compares, supports, concludes,
discriminates, contrasts, summarizes, explains.
25. Bloom’s Taxonomy
.Knowledge (finding out)
a. Use - records, films, videos, models, events, media, diagrams,
books...
b. observed behavior - ask match, discover, locate, observe, listen.
2. Comprehension (understanding)
a. Use - trends, consequences, tables, cartoons....
b. observed behavior - chart, associate, contrast, interpret, compare.
3. Application (making use of the knowledge)
a. use - collection, diary, photographs, sculpture, illustration.
b. observed behavior - list, construct, teach, paint, manipulate, report.
4. Analysis questions (taking apart the known)
a. use - graph, survey, diagram, chart, questionnaire, report....
b. observed behavior - classify, categorize, dissect, advertise, survey.
5. Synthesis (putting things together in another way)
a. use - article, radio show, video, puppet show, inventions, poetry,
short story...
b. observed behavior - combine, invent, compose, hypothesis, create,
produce, write.
6. Evaluation (judging outcomes)
a. use - letters, group with discussion panel, court trial, survey, self-
evaluation, value, allusions...
b. observed behavior - judge, debate, evaluating, editorialize,
recommend.
26. Criteria for moderation of the FSA
instrument
Overall: how does the standard of
the assessment instrument compare
in relation to other qualifications/s
assessment instruments and
previous assessment instruments.
27. Criteria for moderation of the FSA
instrument
•Intellectually challenging and
allowing for creative responses from
candidates
•Suitability of examples and
illustrations
Relationship between mark
allocation, level of difficulty and
time allocation
28. Criteria for moderation of the FSA
instrument
FSA do not count more than
continuous assessment of providers –
the objective for the FSA is to check
the standard across providers and
across qualifications -
STANDARDISATION
29. Technical Criteria
•Cover page with all relevant details
such as time, unit standards and
instructions to candidates
•Clarity of instructions to candidates
•Lay out: learner friendly
•Correct numbering
30. Technical Criteria
•Mark/weighting allocation clearly
indicated
•Quality of illustrations, graphs, tables
etc must be print ready
•Complete memorandum with model
answers with mark/weight allocation
and provision for alternatives
31. Registered Unit Standards and
Qualifications
•Relevance to registered
Qualification, i.e. unit standards,
specific outcomes, assessment
criteria
•Levels of questions
•Coverage of unit standards
•Weighting and spread of contents
32. History of tool
Full history of FSA (when it will be
conducted, who will be assessed,
when and where) with all drafts,
internal moderators’ comments etc.
must accompany the assessment
instrument each time it is submitted
to the external moderator (SETQAA)
33. Cognitive skills
What conceptual constructs of the unit
standards does the assessment
instrument deal with?
e.g. – reasoning ability
• ability to communicate
• ability to translate from verbal to symbolic
• ability to compare and contrast
• ability to see causal relationship
• ability to express an argument clearly
34. Cognitive skills
Are these constructs representative of the
best and latest developments in the
training of this knowledge field?
Are the questions challenging and allowing
for creative responses from candidates?
Suggested application of cognitive levels
for an NQF Level 4 qualification is:
• 10% knowledge
• 20% comprehension
• 40% application
• 30% analysis, synthesis, evaluation
35. Language and bias
• Correct terminology
• Appropriate language register – for the
level of the learner
• Avoidance of gender, race, cultural,
provincial bias
• Clear and unambiguous specification of
instructions within questions e.g. list,
describe
36. Time
• Relationship between difficulty level of
questions and time
• Relationship between time and mark
allocation and answer requirements
37. Internal Moderation
Is there evidence that the paper
has been internally moderated?
Quality, standard and relevance of
input from internal moderator.
38. Competency of Assessor
• Knowledge of assessor setting the FSA
with regard to qualification.
• Knowledge, experience, expertise in
assessment
39. Marking Memorandum
Correctness of memorandum
Correspondence with questions.
Alternative answers provided
Does it facilitate assessment?
40. Alignment Grid
Did they use the grid showing the
alignment of the instrument with the
purpose, rational, assessment
criteria and NQF level descriptor of
the qualification as issued by the
SSETA used?
41. Overall impression of the paper
• Fairness of the assessment instrument as
whole
• Will the assessment instrument as a whole
assess the achievement of the purpose of the
qualification and the exit level outcomes
• Recommendations for improvement or
maintenance of qualification/unit standards.
• final acceptance/rejection of individual
assessment questions and whole assessment
instrument needs to be substantiated
43. Only after written approval from the
external moderator, SETQAA will
approve and sign off the final
assessment instrument and notify the
Certification/Outsourced Partner to
proceed with the distribution of the
assessment instrument and conduct
the assessment.
44. STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED IN
QA OF ASSESSMENT
PROCESSES
Provider internal assessors
Provider internal moderators
Certification/Outsourced Partner
assessors
Certification/Outsourced Partner
moderators
SETQAA external moderators
SETQAA external verifiers
TRAINING PROVIDER ASSESSMENT
Assessment should happen on a CONTINUOUS
basis during learnership/training – formative as
well as summative
Evidence gathered in PoE
Internally moderated and reports submitted to
SETQAA at regular specified intervals (See
moderation policy)
Externally moderated/verified by SETQAA
PoE submitted for external moderation by CP at
end of learning
FSA (PRACTICAL
OBSERVATION)
Should be set and conducted
CONTINUOUSLY and/or AT END of
learnership/ qualification
Set and assessed by registered
assessors, moderated by registered
moderators appointed by CP
Externally verified by SETQAA
FSA (WRITTEN COMPONENT)
Conducted AT END of
learnership/Qualification
Set and moderated by registered
assessors and moderators appointed
by CP
Assessed and moderated by registered
assessors and moderators appointed
by CP
Externally moderated/verified by
SETQAA appointed moderators
PRACTICAL COMPONENT THEORETICAL
COMPONENT
CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT VS FINAL SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
SETQAA DOC
45. FSA Moderation process
APPLICATION FOR MODERATION OF FINAL
INTEGRATED SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
INSTRUMENT RECEIVED BY SSETQA
EXTERNAL MODERATOR APPOINTED BY
SSETQA
NO COMMUNICATION PERMITTED BEWEEN
DEVELOPER AND MODERATOR
MODERATION OF FINAL INTEGRATED
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT / RPL
TOOL
46. FSA Moderation process
PRELIMINARY REPORT PREPARED BY
MODERATOR AFTER THE FSA/RPL TOOL
HAS BEEN MODERATED - REMEDIATION
IDENTIFIED
TOOL SENT BACK TO DEVELOPER FOR
REMEDIATION TO BE ADDRESSED
THE DEVELOPER MAY REMEDIATE /
REQUEST ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
OR APPEAL THE MODERATION DECISION
THROUGH THE SSETA APPEALS
PROCEDURE
47. FSA Moderation process
REMEDIATION COMPLETED
SENT TO EXTERAL MODERATOR TO
CONFIRM REMEDIATION & FINAL
REPORT SUBMITTED
ELECTRONIC VERSIONS SENT
FSA/RPL TOOL REGISTERED ON
DATABASE
48. The Certification/Outsourced
Partner assures the rectification is
done and sends the final draft
together with the Moderators report
to SETQAA for external moderation.
49. The Certification/Outsourced
Partner assures the rectification is
done and sends the final draft
together with the Moderators report
to SETQAA for external moderation.
50. Only after written approval from
the external moderator, SETQAA
will approve and sign off the final
assessment instrument and notify
the Certification Partner to proceed
with the distribution of the
assessment instrument and
conduct the assessment.