English Speaking Board (International) Ltd

Author: Liam Morton

  • Centre Update 3: Speech centre update

    Dear Speech Centre Organiser,

    On 9th April, the UK Government set out how it expects vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) to be assessed and awarded during the current pandemic, when schools and colleges have been closed to help prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). ESB International’s qualifications fall under this cohort guidance.

    Ofqual asked awarding organisations to compile a list of qualifications they offer and what their mitigation approach would be, i.e. how they plan to support learners and centres with getting final results. These options include:

    • Safely estimate or calculate results to issue to students
    • Adapt assessments so that they can be taken in different contexts but still safely and validly measuring the same skills, knowledge and understanding
    • Delay/reschedule (only used as a last resort).

    On 24th April Ofqual opened a consultation on its Extraordinary Regulatory Framework, which includes qualifications available for public funding that fall into one of three categories:

    • Qualifications where the primary use is to progress to FE/HE
    • Qualifications where there is a mixed use to progress to FE, HE or employment
    • Qualifications where the primary use is to provide a License to Practise/access to a profession or certificate of occupational competency.

    The consultation will close on the 8th May and a final list of qualifications in scope for the purposes of the framework will be published after that time. 

    Potential impact for ESB International’s Speech assessments 

    It is likely that speech assessments will need to be adapted  whilst centres are still closed or restrictions still in force that prevent a group assessment in a physical situation (subject to the final outcome of the Ofqual consultation).  

    What may be the potential adaptations if centres are still closed?

    • recording individual learners and submitting the recordings to ESB International to be graded by assessors – this maybe more suitable for younger learners
    • assessing a group live but using video conferencing software – this may be more suitable for older learners
    It is unlikely that we will be in a position to commence any adapted assessments until mid June at the earliest, given Ofqual’s current timelines.

    Current Actions required of centres

    1. Please read the consultation document to understand the extraordinary framework – do please participate in the consultation which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ofqual-consultation-on-awarding-vocational-and-technical-qualifications-in-summer-2020

    2. You do not need to cancel booked speech assessments until we communicate with you the position from Ofqual on how we may adapt assessments. 

    3. Do please respond to product@esbuk.org if you’re interested in having your learners assessed remotely. This doesn’t commit you to anything, but it would be very helpful for ESB to have a sense of what speech centres may be interested in exploring.

    Once the Extraordinary Regulatory Framework is enacted, ESB International  will  propose to its Speech centres how we may carry out adapted speech assessments. Thank you for your patience at this time as the sector establishes how we can carry out our work.

    Any questions should also be sent to product@esbuk.org   

    *Please note that we are running on a skeleton staff due to furloughing and will respond to any queries as quickly as we can.

  • Centre Update 2: For centres regarding Ofqual’s Consultation on its Extraordinary Regulatory Framework – Proposal for ESOL Skills for Life learners

    On 9th April, the UK Government set out how it expects vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) to be assessed and awarded during the current pandemic, when schools and colleges have been closed to help prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

    Ofqual asked for awarding organisations to compile a list of qualifications they offer that fall into one of those categories and what their mitigation approach would be, i.e. how they plan to support learners and centres with getting final results. These options include:

    • Safely estimate or calculate results to issue to students
    • Adapt assessments so that they can be taken in different contexts but still safely and validly measuring the same skills, knowledge and understanding
    • Delay/reschedule (only used as a last resort).

    On 24th April Ofqual opened a consultation on its Extraordinary Regulatory Framework, which includes qualifications available for public funding that fall into one of three categories:

    • Qualifications where the primary use is to progress to FE/HE
    • Qualifications where there is a mixed use to progress to FE, HE or employment
    • Qualifications where the primary use is to provide a License to Practise/access to a profession or certificate of occupational competency.

    Proposal for ESOL Skills for Life centres:

    Pending the final list of qualifications in scope, which will be published after the consultation ends on 8th May, ESB International is proposing to calculate the results for our ESOL Skills for Life learners. After the Government’s position is finalised following the consultation, we will commence to contact centres that had cancelled assessments in March 2020 and commence the process for centres to calculate grades based on published trusted evidence criteria and subject to quality assurance checks by ESB International. Next, ESB International will move to call for bookings and registration of learners for the summer term assessments.

    We will send you detailed evidence criteria that may include use of evidence to calculate results such as:

    • Banked component marks and grades
      – Class work/homework, Initial assessments and diagnostic assessments
    • Internal assessment marks and grades not yet subject to Centre Assessment Standards scrutiny
      – Previous achievement of Skills for Life Awards by the learner, Individual Learning Plans, Formative  assessments
    • Information provided by centres in relation to likely performance
      – Predicted grades, Prior attainment data – Mock exam results, Teacher profiles of individual learners

    ESB International for quality assurance purposes will use evidence such as:

    • Historical centre data

    Current Action required of centres

    1. Please read the consultation document to understand the extraordinary framework – do please participate in the consultation
    2. Commence internal planning for calculated grades for the cancelled March assessments and review the potential sources of trusted evidence that you hold
    3. Commence planning for Summer Term cohorts and plan to gather learner registration data in readiness for booking

    Once the framework is enacted ESB International will commence communicating with you to implement calculated results for your learners.

    Any questions should be sent to product@esbuk.org

    Please note that we are running on a skeleton staff due to furloughing and will respond to any queries as quickly as we can.

  • Centre Update 1: News about our qualifications in the summer term

    An Ofqual consultation has commenced relating to the awarding of Vocational and Technical qualifications for spring/summer 2020. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ofqual-consultation-on-awarding-vocational-and-technical-qualifications-in-summer-2020

    We encourage centres to engage with the consultation which closes on the 8th May.

    ESB International will aim to communicate our proposals by 1st May for our ESOL Skills for Life qualifications, subject to final confirmation from Ofqual. We will subsequently communicate proposals for other ESB qualifications.

    Our proposals will be communicated on our website and notifications sent to centre organisers by email.

    ESB Logo

  • Cancellation of Bookings due to COVID-19

    Dear colleagues,

    I wanted to update you that ESB International is going to cancel all bookings up to 31st May 2020, that are currently in our system. No cancellation fees will be charged. We will open our booking system after the Easter holidays from the 14th April for bookings commencing from the 1st June, in the hope that the centre closure situation may have changed by that time. Again should the centre closure situation remain past 1st June, no cancellation fees will be charged.

    We have been contacted by some centres enquiring as to what might be available currently in light of centre closures. We are still waiting for a final position from Ofqual for our vocational sector and will of course communicate with you once that position has been reached.

    With best wishes,
    Tina Renshaw 
    Chief Executive