Noel Jenkin's advise on Level marking at GCSE

In the GCSE exam, answers worth more than 4 marks will be marked using a level of response. You are not awarded a mark for every correct point you make. In general it works like this:

Level 1: Basic (1 or 2 marks)
Knowledge of basic information
Simple understanding
No links between statements
Little or no detail
Few specialist terms

Level 2: Clear (3 or 4 marks)
Knowledge of accurate information
Clear understanding
Links between statements
Some named examples
Use of specialist terms

Level 3 (5 or 6 marks)
Usually found at the end of a question, a level 3 answer requires in depth knowledge and understanding, very clear links between statements, and detailed case study examples.

Here is an actual example of levelled marking from the Year 10 end of topic test that I’ve just marked.

Question: Describe the main features of the outer suburbs of a settlement (4 marks) (AQA A 2005 Higher)

Student A wrote:
There are lots of green space, modern housing, curved roads and very quiet.

This answer gets L1 basic. (2 marks) Simple knowledge is shown, but there are no links between statements.

Student B wrote:
Outer suburbs generally house upper class residents. Houses are more likely to be detached and there would be more fields. The motorway or large road heading to the CBD would be present. Also there may be airports or big shopping malls that are easy to get to.

This answer gets L2 clear (4 marks) as the student makes two linked statements .

The final question on the paper was:
Describe how governments of MEDCs try to cope with urban sprawl. (6 marks)
Read the following answer and then submit a comment suggesting the level at which you would mark the answer, and why. Re-read the criteria for level marking first!

Student C wrote:
In MEDCs, in particular Britain, the government has created green belts to stop cities from continuing to grow too far into the countryside. Instead the growing population can be housed in new towns containing spacious housing and many services. Also in older cities, inner city areas can be re-furbished or rebuilt, creating more space for new homewosks, businesses and services, though it is often more expensive.