KS5: Creating Grade Methods (Admin)

What is a Grade Method?

Grade methods are used to tell Analytics what type of grades are going to be uploaded for each qualification, such as A*-E, DMP, etc., as well as the performance points and size each grade is worth towards calculations in the reports.

There are no default grade methods provided, as schools may wish to use their own whole/sub grade combinations. Therefore, you would need to create one grade method for each qualification type your school assesses which has a unique grading structure or points/size contributions.

For example, you would need to create one ‘GCE A Level’ grade method to cater for all of your GCE A Level qualifications. You would also need to create methods for L3, L2, L1, and Entry Level qualifications which can affect KS5 performance measures.

We recommend producing a list of the different qualification types you assess in KS5 (preferably their QN codes), which can be used to help you to create your grade methods.

Creating a KS5 Grade Method

To create a grade method, click CONFIG. > Grade Methods > KS5 Methods > ‘Create KS5 Grade Method’.

There are up to nine steps to complete when creating a grade method, however the steps you complete will vary depending on the selections you make, explained below.

1 / Grade Structure

To begin, select the appropriate grading structure for the TYPE of qualification, as this will determine how this can count towards headlines in the reports, once available. For example, there are separate grading structures for GCE AS Level and L3 Core Maths qualifications, even though these are awarded the same grades, points and entries, as they count differently towards figures.

To narrow down the list, enter your qualification’s QN code (recommended), qualification type (e.g. GCE, BTEC, etc.), qualification name and/or provider (e.g. WJEC), into the Search.

You can use the information displayed to select the appropriate grading structure, or click the magnifying glass for more details. Then, click Select.

Please note, there is a limited set of QNs that we currently do not support. These are:

• T Levels
• IBacc Diploma
• AEA qualifications that carry points, but zero entries
• Qualifications not reported on by the DfE since 2017
• Princes Trust qualifications that count towards English and maths progress measures, but are not awarded points.

2 / Method Name

The grade method name will then automatically be populated with the chosen grading structure. Click ‘Next’.

3 / Whole Grades

Analytics will then display the associated whole grades (including fail grades), points, and entries (taken from the DfE's performance points spreadsheets).

Here you have the option to add up to 5 additional non-scoring grades to this list, which may be useful if your school collects grades for internal analysis. For example, some schools may collect WT for Working Towards or N for Near Pass.

To add additional grades, place a tick next to ‘Create additional non-scoring grades’.

Or, to skip this, click ‘Next’ and go to step 5 in this article.

Next, enter your additional grades, containing up to 7 characters, if required.

Additional grades will always be worth 0 performance/challenge points, however you can use the toggle in the Entries column to decide whether you would like each grade to be worth the same amount of entries as the official grades listed above (and therefore count as an entry towards headline measures in the reports) or worth 0 entries. Then, click ‘Next’.

4 / Fail Grades

If you have entered additional non-scoring grades in step 3, Analytics will provide an overview of all grades included within the method, ordered by strength. Additional non-scoring grades will be grouped with existing fail grades of the same size.

If you would like your additional grades to be treated as stronger or weaker than a particular fail grade in the reports, you can use the arrows (shown below to move them up or down in the list. For example, if you have added a WT (working towards) grade, you may wish for this to be considered stronger than a grade U. Then, click ‘Next’.

5 / Alternative Upload Values

The whole grades displayed in step 3 will also be the format Analytics expects your grades to be in within your grade files. If you’re happy with the format, click ‘Next’ to skip this step and go to step 6.

However, if you collect your grades in a different format, you can enter alternative upload values for any of the official grades listed. For example, some schools may collect ‘Pass’ grades instead of ‘P’ grades. To set this up, tick ‘Include alternative upload values’.

Here you can enter one alternative upload value (up to 8 characters) for each appropriate whole grade. This will allow Analytics to recognise either the whole grade or alternative upload value in your grades files. Once you have done this, click ‘Next’.

6 / Sub Grades

Here you can define if your grade method will include sub grades, which can be used to determine the strength of your students’ grades. If you add sub grades to your method, you can still upload whole grades (e.g. A, B, C, etc.), or you can upload master grades, which are the combination of whole and sub grade (e.g. B+, B=, B-, etc.).

To define sub grades for your method, tick ‘Include Sub Grades’. Or to skip this, click ‘Next’ and go to step 9 in this article.

You can enter between 2 and 10 sub grades and these can contain up to 4 characters each. Enter the strongest sub grade on the left, getting progressively weaker with the weakest sub grade on the right. Using the example below, this tells Analytics that a sub grade + is stronger than an =, = is stronger than a –, etc. Then, click ‘Next’.

7 / Master Grades

If you have selected to include sub grades in step 6, you will then need to determine which sub grades will be valid for each whole grade, which determines the overall master grade (whole grade and sub grade combination). For example, you could either upload a whole grade B, or the master grades B+, B=, or B-, and each of these would be worth the same number of points in the reports. To do this, ensure there is a tick next to the appropriate grades, then click ‘Next’.

8 / Grade Equivalencies

If you have selected to include sub grades in step 6, then you must define which master grade each official whole grade is equivalent to. For example, if you were to upload a whole grade B, would this be equal to a B+, B=, or B-?

To define these, select the relevant master grade in the dropdown menus for each grade. Using the example below, the middle sub grade ‘=’ has been selected for A*-E grades. If a B was then uploaded, Analytics would treat this as the equivalent to a B=, stronger than a B- but weaker than a B+. Then, click ‘Next’.

9 / Confirmation

Finally, you can double check the grade method based on your previous selections. If you need to make any changes, click ‘Previous’ to go back to the appropriate step. When you are happy with the setup, click ‘Finish’ to create the method.

You will then be taken to the Grades Method Detail page and your method will be available to select when creating your EAPs. You can click ‘Back to Grade Method List’ at the top to return to the original page and create additional grade methods for other grading structures if needed.

Managing KS5 Methods

Once you have created one or more grade methods, they will be listed underneath your Grade Methods List in CONFIG. > Grade Methods > KS5 Methods.

The blue pencil icon can be used to rename a grade method, and methods can be deleted (if not in use within an EAP), using the red X icon in the Actions column.

To amend the details of a grade method (such as additional non-scoring grades, alternative upload values or sub grades), click on the grade method name to drill down to the Grades Method Detail page, then click ‘Reconfigure’.

Thanks for reading!