In this month’s Skills for Life news: ^back to top^

• ***New-style weekly tests – now live from March 2008***
• How test dates appear on the catalogue – each test isn’t really 8 hours long!
• ESOL for Work – first live assignments now available for use
• End of year round-up

Skills for Life news is published every month and contains all the latest information and updates about City & Guilds’ learner qualifications designed to support the Skills for Life strategy in England, Essential Skills for Living strategy in Northern Ireland and National Basic Skills Strategy for Wales.

A downloadable (PDF) version of the newsletter (for printing and/or circulating to colleagues) is available below. A full archive of previous issues is also available.

***New style weekly tests – now live from March 2008***

We’ve included information about forthcoming changes to the adult numeracy/literacy (3792) weekly tests in the last two issues of Skills for Life news.

The new arrangements will now be effective from March 2008 and not January as previously notified.

The new system, made possible by our new ‘shopping basket’ style Walled Garden, will make administering the paper-based national tests a lot less cumbersome and enable:

• faster results turnaround (within ten working days instead of 4-5 weeks)
• better cohort management (eg if you have several groups of candidates taking the national tests at different times during a week)
• unnamed candidate entries (the new system won’t ask you for candidate names up-front – you simply order the number of papers required for each test sitting).

Please ensure your exams officer, or person responsible for making your weekly test entries, is aware of the new procedures.

Why the delay until March?
The on-demand system can only be accessed using the new Walled Garden. All centres currently using the old Walled Garden are due to have been migrated to the new one by the end of December, although we need to be confident that all 3792 centres can access the new screens before pulling the plug on the current weekly tests. For that reason, we’ve decided to continue using the current system during January and February 2008.

How do we enter candidates for tests in January and February?
All weekly tests during these nine weeks will be accessed in exactly the same way as at present (even if you’re using the new Walled Garden). The schedule of test dates and entry codes is as follows:

A Dated Entry needs to be made for each named candidate quoting the relevant processing month and three-digit component number. Invigilation certificates (ICMs) and candidate answer sheets will continue to display the Monday of the test week, and you’re still able to hold these tests at any time from 00:01 on the Monday to 23:59 the following Sunday.

What happens after week nine?
That’s when the new system kicks in. Any paper-based adult numeracy/literacy national tests required on or after Monday 3 March 2008 will be ordered using the following new procedure:

1. Select the ‘On Demand’ screen on the new Walled Garden.

NB: Paper based (Form S) entries will no longer be possible

2. The following qualification numbers should be used:

• 3792-11 – Level 1 Certificate in Adult Numeracy
• 3792-12 – Level 2 Certificate in Adult Numeracy
• 3792-13 – Level 1 Certificate in Adult Literacy
• 3792-14 – Level 2 Certificate in Adult Literacy.

It will no longer be possible to enter candidates via the separate weekly test qualification numbers (3792-40, -41 etc).

3. Each test is identified by the following component numbers:

• 3792-300 – Adult Numeracy level 1
• 3792-400 – Adult Literacy level 1
• 392-500 – Adult Numeracy level 2
• 3792-600 – Adult Literacy level 2

There will no longer be separate component numbers for each week.

4. The ordering screens will ask you to specify a date and time for the test sitting and the number of papers required.

You will no longer need to supply candidate names in advance.

5. Our processing systems will automatically select a test paper for each test sitting. The invigilation certificate and candidate answer sheet will no longer contain pre-printed candidate names – these will need to be completed on the day.

Please be aware that papers for each test sitting must be ordered separately (even if these are due to take place during the same week or even at different times on the same day). Different test papers will be provided for each sitting so it’s vital that you keep all materials relating to each sitting together.

When will we be able to start ordering tests using the new procedures?
As soon as you have access to the new Walled Garden. However, please note Monday 3 March 2008 is the earliest date you can request papers for.

How much notice will we need to give when ordering papers?
Each sitting will require ten working days’ notice (similar to the current entry closing date for the weekly tests).

We currently use the fixed-date adult numeracy/literacy tests (ie 3792-220, -221, -230 and -231). Will this still be available?
The new on-demand system enables all centres to access the tests whenever they want, so the six fixed-date test opportunities are no longer needed. As it stands, dates have been published for these tests up until September 2008, although to reduce the potential for confusion we may bring forward the withdrawal date – we’ll keep you posted about this. Entries can definitely be made for the January 2008 and March 2008 series.

What about the paper-based ESOL Skills for Life reading test (3692)
(and level 1-2 key skills paper tests)?
The paper tests will continue to be available only on fixed dates where candidates are working towards ESOL Skills for Life or key skills qualifications, at least until September 2008. After that, we intend to introduce a similar on-demand system for 3692 and 3638 candidates although we’ll let you have the details nearer the time.

What happens if we use online testing?
Nothing will change! These tests will still be accessed as before through the GOLA system using qualification numbers 3792-21, -22, -23 and -24.

We’ll include reminders about the new arrangements in the January and February issues of Skills for Life news. If you have any particular questions in the meantime though, please get in touch via skillsforlife@cityandguilds.com.

Whilst we’re on the subject of tests, you may have noticed that the test information on the 3692 and 3792 catalogue pages now display  default start-finish times for each of the national tests (09:00 – 17:00).

Please ignore the default times and be assured that the tests are not really 8 hours long!

As before, all fixed-date tests may take place at any time between 00:01 and 23:59 on the specified date. The test length is 1¼ hours for Adult Numeracy and 1 hour for Adult Literacy and ESOL Skills for Life Reading.

Likewise, the weekly tests (until the end of February) may start at any time between 00:01 on the Monday of the test week and 23:59 the following Sunday.

ESOL for Work – first live assignments now available for use

The first live ESOL for Work (3694) assignment is now available for approved centres to download from www.cityandguilds.com/esolforwork. All approved 3694 centres will receive a letter during December disclosing the password and security procedures (similar to the new arrangements for Entry level 3792). New centres will receive this information with their approval letter.

End of year round-up

Finally, may we wish you a very happy Christmas and festive period. This year has seen enormous changes and challenges within the Literacy/Language/Numeracy arena (more than usual!) in all four nations, and next year is shaping up to be every bit as frenetic!

In England, functional skills and the new 2020 targets are looming large on the Skills for Life agenda – do check out Functional skills news (if you haven’t already done so) as this provides a monthly commentary on our pilot and issues around these qualifications.

College mergers have brought huge changes within Northern Ireland, and the launch of Training for Success last September has resulted in many more work-based providers delivering the Essential Skills qualifications (3800) for the first time. Our EV team and the Northern Ireland office are continuing to work closely with 3800 centres as the impact of these changes unfolds.

In Wales, we are liaising with DCELLS (as they are now) over the Welsh Assembly Government’s proposed new suite of ‘converged’ qualifications that are set to replace key skills and adult numeracy/literacy from 2010.

The Scottish Government is also planning changes to its Adult Literacies strategy, for example linking more closely with the core skills framework which is itself in the process of being revised. We’re watching these developments closely and will be ready to work with providers where we can support what they’re doing.

Wherever you are, City & Guilds will continue to work with and support you during 2008. Please do enjoy the break (as little or as much as you’re able to grab!).

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