Non-examination based assessments

Overview

A non-examination assessment (NEA) is any type of assessment that is not a formal exam. Instead of sitting a timed test, learners complete tasks that demonstrate their knowledge and skills. NEAs include a range of assessment activities, such as:

oral assessments
fieldwork
portfolio work
practical assessments

A file storage solution for NEAs has been developed through collaboration with local authorities and Qualifications Wales, with consultation from WJEC to confirm that the technical solution aligns with qualification and JCQ requirements.

The tool supports schools to administer NEA files and store them securely. It ensures the data stored within the document libraries:

is secure
is fully auditable
can only be accessed when the teacher allows the learners to do so, in set time periods

It should be noted that this provides a technical solution for centres.
However, schools are still responsible for following JCQ instructions when delivering NEAs and keeping materials secure. They also need to follow the specific instructions from each awarding body, including subject-specific guidance found in specifications and NEA handbooks.

Access the NEA file storage tool

Go to User management.
Select Administration, School Groups, Manage controlled assessments. This area will display all the classes that the logged-in user teaches for this academic year.
You can use the dropdown menus to filter the classes by Year, Group Type and Academic Year. You can also use a search term to find classes by subject or class name.
Selecting a class will display a pane for the controlled assessments, for that class. There is a View Students button to show the learners in that class.
The controlled assessment pane will initially show empty, as no new controlled assessments have been created. When controlled assessments areas are created, they will be populated in here.

Create a new controlled assessment area

Click the New Controlled Assessment button.
A pop-up box will be displayed. Enter a name for the new area. This should be relevant and unique. It cannot be renamed after it has been created.
Click on Submit to create the controlled assessment. This may take up to 10 minutes.
A new row will be populated within the controlled assessment pane, which will show a status of Pending Creation.
Once the process for creating a new controlled assessment area has completed, the status will now turn to Locked by default. Three new tabs, Audits, Link and Control, will be displayed next to it.
You can create multiple controlled assessments per class.

Audit tab

You can view the logs of all users’ actions and resource interactions in the Audit Tab.
The data cannot be manipulated.
The columns can be sorted in ascending or descending order by clicking on the relevant headings.
You can use the dropdown menus to filter the data by Username, Action and Date. You can also use a search term to find audit logs by username or resource path.

Note: when an action or interaction takes place in the controlled assessment area, it may take up to 30 minutes to appear in the audit log. This is a limitation of the Microsoft logging solution.

Link tab

Contains the URL for the controlled assessment area. The controlled assessment area is a SharePoint document library.
Clicking the Copy button will copy the URL to the clipboard, allowing for easy sharing.
The controlled assessment area can be accessed by any modern web browser.

Controls tab

Allows you to control and manage the controlled assessment area.
The status displays Locked by default.
The status will change depending on what action you have taken. The 3 main states are Locked, Unlocked and Scheduled.
The controlled assessment area is always accessible to the staff user, who teaches the class.

Control learners’ access

Unlock

Selecting Unlock allows learners to access the controlled assessment area. It will override any schedule that is in place.
The status changes from Locked to Unlocking once this button is pressed.
When all permissions have been added to all learners, the status will change to Unlocked. All learners now have access to their relevant files and folders.
The teacher must remember to Lock the area once the session has been completed.

Lock

Selecting Lock removes access for learners to the controlled assessment area. It will override any schedule that is in place.
This will remove permissions from all learners to access their relevant files and folders. There is a 5-minute tolerance built-in, to allow each learner time to finish saving and uploading.
The status changes from Unlocked to Locking once this button is pressed.
When all permissions have been removed from all learners, the status will change to Locked.

Schedule

This feature should be utilised where possible, as it will remove the need to remember when to unlock or lock the area.
The time that can be selected or entered is limited to 7am to 7pm.
You can set the date and time for the controlled assessment site to unlock and lock automatically.
It will change the status to show Scheduled – Locked.
It can be overridden by selecting the manual commands Lock or Unlock.
When a schedule has been completed, it will be removed from the schedule area, allowing for a new schedule to be setup.

Scheduled unlock time

When the area unlock time is met, the status will change to Scheduled – Unlocking, and the Unlock process (outlined above) will run. The status will then update to Scheduled – Unlocked when the process has completed.

Scheduled locked time

When the area lock time is met, the status will change to Scheduled – Locking, and the Lock process (noted above) will run. There is a 5-minute tolerance built-in, to allow each learner time to finish saving and uploading.

The status will then update to Scheduled – Locked when the process has completed.

Allocate extra time for certain learners

This will allow selected learners to retain access for an additional period, when the controlled assessment area is locked. Once the allocated time has elapsed, these learners will have their permissions revoked.

For example, if the site is locked at 13:00, but learner X has 15 minutes extra time allocated, they will still have access to the controlled assessment area until 13:20 (including the 5-minute tolerance).

To allocate extra time:

time can be set individually using the tick box next to the learner’s name
allocate extra time (1 to 60 minutes)
click Add extra time. The learner will be allocated the extra time, and they will be added to a separate list

To remove the learner from having allocated extra time, click the X next to the learner.

To allocate the same time to multiple learners at once, click the tick box next to each learner, and follow the steps above.

Close site

This feature will remove all access permissions for learners. You should only use this if you are sure that the controlled assessment area is no longer needed. It will become read-only and only the teacher will retain access. This action cannot be reversed.

The site will be marked as closed, with all the UMP controls being removed and the status updated to Completed. The pop-up displays a warning message along with 2 tick boxes, that must be ticked to agree with the statements, before the confirm button is enabled and clickable.

Each controlled assessment has a 12-month retention period if the Close Site option has not been selected. If the Closed Site option has been selected the teacher will only have read-only and download permissions on the files and folders from that point onwards.

Managing the SharePoint controlled assessment area

Once you have created an area in the user management portal, it can be accessed using any web browser. Use the link provided in the Link tab next to the controlled assessment area. Paste this link into the browser.

As a teacher

The area will display all the learner folders for the class, along with a _Templates folder. The teacher can use the _Templates folder to store documents that each learner may need a copy of, such as:

forms
documentation
images

The learner can copy anything contained within this folder, to their own folder in the controlled assessment area.

Teachers have full edit rights on all folders and files in the controlled assessment area. This includes delete and rename rights.

As a learner

The area in a Locked state, will be empty. No permissions are set at this point.

When in an Unlocked state, the area will display the learner’s personal folder along with the _Templates folder. Within the learner folder, the -Files area is where files and sub-folders are to be stored.

Note: Learners have full edit rights on the -Files folder, with View only rights on the _Templates folder.

Teachers and learners both have the permissions to add the controlled assessment as a shortcut to their OneDrive, by using the functionality on the toolbar. This allows for ease of use to upload or download work and resources. In addition, the controlled assessment can be pinned to the quick access bar in OneDrive.

Applying permissions to a new teacher

If a teacher leaves mid-way through a school year, their account permissions will be removed. Any controlled assessments that have been created for their classes, will be applied to the new teacher. The UMP controlled assessment area will also be transferred to the new teacher. This is all driven by the MIS in the school, where the classes being taught by the leaving teacher need to be updated with the new teacher. Until this is done, the permissions will remain with the leaving teacher.

Learners leaving

If a learner leaves mid-way through a school year, the controlled assessment area will have the permissions removed from the learner’s folder and _Templates folder. This is driven by the MIS, where the learner needs to be marked as a leaver.

Learners returning to a school

If a learner returns after leaving, and they already had a folder in the controlled assessment area, they will have their permissions reinstated to their folder and the _Templates folder. They need to be marked as being on roll in the MIS and assigned to the correct class.

Adding a new learner to a controlled assessment

If a new learner starts after a controlled assessment has been created for their class, a new folder will be created for the user as well as adding them to the _Templates folder permission.

Note: All permission for learners, follow the Lock/Unlock states.

Rollover and controlled assessments

Each year, when learners move up a year, their access to the controlled assessment is removed. Teachers still have full access to all folders and files, so they can copy work from the previous year to the new one. However, the UMP controls are no longer active.

Every academic year, a new controlled assessment area must be created from the UMP. This makes sure that the list of students is up to date for that year and class.

Retention period for controlled assessment data

Each controlled assessment has a 12-month retention period unless the close site option is selected. After the retention period ends, the teacher permissions will change to read-only and download only.

If the Closed Site option has been selected, the files and folders are subject to retention policies from that point onwards. This will mean the teacher will only have read-only and download rights.

Further guidance on NEAs

Qualification Wales information on non-examination assessment within new GCSEs from 2025.

Joint Council for Qualification instructions for conducting non-examination assessments.

Non-examination based assessments (NEAs)