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Below is a list of documents for centres:

The wider key skills qualifications standards and guidance (QCA/04/1294)

AQA Administration Handbook for the Wider Key Skills Standards

Recording documentation

Key Skills Timetable

Library of Administration documents

Reports on the Examination

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The standards for Wider Key Skills are divided into two parts:

Part A - What you need to know

Part B - What you must do

The following information relates to the questions that candidates are asked for the purpose of assessing their knowledge as described in Part A of the Standards.

Part A – The Questions

Wider Key Skills are available as qualifications within the National Qualifications Framework. The portfolios must cover all of the requirements of Part B. AQA has provided centres with a set of questions to use with candidates, to check their knowledge and understanding of Part A. These are in the AQA Administration Handbook for the Wider Key Skills Standards. These questions should be used flexibly to enable tutors to confirm candidates' knowledge and understanding of Part A. The questions will be assessed by the tutor and externally moderated by AQA. Guidance on the effective use of Part A questions is provided in the AQA Administration Handbook for the Wider Key Skills Standards.

1. What is the purpose of the questions?

The questions are designed to ensure that the candidate knows how to use the knowledge and understanding listed in Part A of the Wider Key Skills Standards. These questions are not designed to be part of the portfolio, which is assessed against Part B.

2. What preparation may be made for answering the questions?

The best preparation is teaching the content of Part A and providing material which will provide candidates with 'practical' situations to which they may apply their knowledge. The questions are available for candidates' use throughout their course but it is likely that they will have grasped the main concepts assessed by the questions before embarking on the portfolio. AQA has provided case study material and associated questions in the Part A Record Book.

3. How much guidance may be given when the candidates undertake formative assessment of the questions?

Candidates may be given guidance by the assessor in a variety of ways which allow the candidates to demonstrate their knowledge. Prompt cards may be provided using, for example, key words to stimulate the candidates' responses. Questions may be clarified or adapted by the assessor and additional questions may be posed which provide encouragement to the candidates to elaborate on their answers.

Candidates can be invited to expand/develop their answers with follow up prompts such as What if..' or How would you..'. Candidates should be encouraged to give examples of how they would apply their knowledge and understanding.

4. How many questions must be asked?

At Level one, at least one question from each of the three component sections must be asked. Questions should be chosen that allow the candidates to demonstrate knowledge and understanding that is not explicitly shown within the portfolios they have produced. This will mean that some candidates are asked more questions than others. At Levels two and three, all questions must be asked.

5. Are questions answered individually or in a group?

The answers to the questions must be an individual response by each candidate, not a group activity.

6. If a candidate performs poorly, what action may be taken?

If there is sufficient time, candidates may be given one or more further opportunities to tackle the questions. Should candidates fail to demonstrate knowledge of Part A adequately, their entry for the series in question should be withdrawn. They may re-enter in a subsequent series when their performance is deemed successful by the centre.

7. How are the answers to the question recorded?

Centres are required to complete the Part A Record Book to verify the candidates' satisfactory performance in the Part A Questions. The answer to the questions must be available for moderation and must be recorded in an auditable format:

• candidate writes answers, either on paper or electronically
• recorded on audio tape
• recorded on video tape
• assessor records answers given

8. When must the Part A Record Book and candidate answers be sent to AQA?

These must be sent with the portfolio for moderation by the appropriate deadline dates prior to the January, March or June moderation windows.

9. How is success measured?

The centre's assessment of both Parts A and B of a Wider Key Skills qualification must be confirmed by external moderation. Moderation is by an inspection of a sample of portfolio work and Part A questions sent by post from the centre to a moderator.

Following the review of the sample portfolio work, the moderator's assessment are compared with those of the centre to determine whether the centre's assessments either can be confirmed or the level of assessment or the level of assessment amended or the level of assessment rejected. On the publication of results the centre is supplied with details of the final results for the internally assessed portfolio and questions. The centre receives a report giving feedback on the accuracy of the centre's assessment.