Why were you referred?
In order to pass Delta
Module Two, the candidate has to complete a coursework portfolio and pass an
internal coursework assignment as well as the externally assessed assignment.
The candidate is referred if the external assessment has not passed. The
assessor’s judgments have been checked by an external moderator.
Candidates cannot be
referred if the original coursework was incomplete, or if they have not met the
course requirements, e.g. they did not complete the Professional Development
Assignment, or have failed two internal systems or skills assignments. In these
cases the overall result for the coursework will be a Fail.
So a referral
result means that your centre passed the coursework, but you didn't pass the external
assessment.
What does the referral
procedure involve?
The candidate has to
have another external assessment which provides a further opportunity for the
candidate to demonstrate sound teaching based on a clear understanding of
underlying principles and their practical application.
The
components of the referral assignment are identical to those of all the
previous LSAs : a background essay, lesson plan, assessed lesson and post
lesson evaluation, plus the signed candidate declaration form. The assessment
will be arranged by your centre.
When will it happen?
Candidates who are
referred have two opportunities to re-enter for Delta Module Two within a
one-year period following the issue of results. So for example a candidate who
is initially referred in June may enter for reassessment in any two of the
following sessions: October and/or December in the same year and/or June the
following year. A candidate who is initially referred in December may enter for
reassessment in any two of the June, October or December sessions of the
following year. Referred candidates do not have to re-take a course.
Candidates must enter
through their original centre.
So what should you do next?
It's unlikely that you were referred in LSA4 because of "bad luck on the day". There will be specific weaknesses in your writing, your background knowledge and/or your teaching that you need to work on, and you need to find out what these are. How?
1. Contact
your centre and ask them to start the process of applying for a report on the
reasons you failed LSA4. There are two stages in this process. The Cambridge
manual states:
The following services/stages are available for candidates receiving a Referred or Fail grade:
• Stage 1: Detailed Report
• Stage 2: Re-mark/Re-moderation of external
assignment/whole portfolio.
Please note that the
re-marking service does not apply to the practical element of the assessed
lesson, but the documents (Background essay and assessor’s comments) provided
to Cambridge English will be reviewed. All candidates wishing to request a
re-mark must have completed Stage 1 (..report request..) before requesting a
re-mark (Stage 2).
Where an enquiry leads
to a change of grade, any results enquiry fee paid will be reimbursed.
The Stage One Report is an
invaluable guide to the areas which you need to improve before retaking the
external assessment, and you’ll probably recognise them as areas you already
knew were weaknesses. If you have any doubts, you might want to ask your tutors
to have a look at the BE, LP and PLE to see if they agree with the assessor’s
conclusions. If they don’t, it may be worthwhile going on to Stage Two.
2. Ask
your centre to send you the Cambridge document Information for Referred Candidates. This four-page document explains
exactly what the referral procedure entails in much more detail than is
possible here (including eg whether you should do a systems or skills lesson,
the centre’s responsibilities, where you can do the referral lesson etc).
3. Find
out from your centre what support they offer (if any) in terms of further
training and development for referred candidates. Do they run seminars (F2F or
online?) on areas of weakness that are relevant to you? Can they provide a
reading list and/or list of videos that will specifically target the weak areas
identified in the report? etc. Note that this is not compulsory, and if the
centre provides such support, there may be an additional fee. If nothing is offered, consider
following our Module Two Preparatory Programme. Although it covers all the
components of the M2 course, you’ll see that all but two of the thirteen
sections focus specifically on the LSAs, including the External Assessment. You’ll
find detailed guidance on the do’s and don’ts of each part of the assignment, an
analysis of examples of assignments or parts of assignments written by past
candidates, two recorded lessons (one systems and one skills) to watch, and
much more. The cost? A €50 (or rough equivalent in your own currency) donation
to a charity of your choice.
So as soon as you receive the Report on your performance in LSA4, start working on the weak areas that were identified – whether with help from your original centre or from us. Delta Module Two is a developmental course - and development takes time. Once you’ve seen the report, you'll probably find you need to work steadily over at least 12 weeks (possibly more, depending on how much time per week you can spend and how many problems you find you need to resolve.) So don't put it off - start now. That will let you get an overview of the course contents before you start working intensively on specific areas after seeing the Report.
However,
don't rush the resubmission. As it says above, it is not essential to
resubmit immediately in the following session. By the time you have received
your result and waited for the Cambridge report, there may be very little time
left to carry out the work needed to bring the assignment up to pass level. If
you do it too quickly and again do not pass, this time you’ll fail – which
means you will need to retake the entire course. Much better therefore to take
your time and be completely sure that you resubmit an assignment that is at
pass standard.
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