Unit Award Scheme UNIT WRITING TRAINING Copyright © AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved

Copyright © AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Unit Award Scheme

UNIT WRITING TRAINING


Writing units

• Before you write a new unit - check availability of existing units on the UAS website

• Can these be used as written?

• Can they be modified (minor amended) to meet your requirements?

• Units must be submitted using the Word unit template on the UAS website

• More detail about writing units is in the Guide to Writing and Submitting Units


Format of a unit

• From May 2015 there is a new, shorter, format for a UAS unit

• The main sections of the unit are

• Title

• Outcomes

• Evidence

• Level

More detailed guidance for each section follows …


Outcomes to be accredited – stems

• demonstrated the ability to – eg for skills like doing …, making …

• shown knowledge of – eg for knowing about something …

• acquired an understanding of

– eg for more detailed understanding or explanation about something …

• experienced – eg for listening to, watching, taking part in, visiting …

Any or all of these stems may be used and in any order – outcomes should flow naturally through the unit


Outcomes to be accredited – points to note

• Give the learner full credit - eg for researching or planning, visits …

• Avoid unnecessary overlap, - eg same thing under two stems

• Ensure that the context of outcomes is clear, - eg ‘take part in a discussion about …’, ‘plan a menu for …’,

• Be clear and specific throughout, - eg use ‘at least three …’


Evidence to be offered

Evidence can be

• produced by the learner, eg written work, printout, artefact

• supplied by the teacher, eg checklist, written record

Learner produced evidence should be included where an outcome generates it, eg list, painting, written work, model …

Alternative evidence may be specified where appropriate, eg Learner’s written work or teacher written record

Checklist may need to be itemised for certain outcomes, eg where an outcome contains more than one part, eg ‘watch at least three …’


Evidence to be offered – points to note

• Ensure it’s appropriate and evidences the outcome in full

• Keep it simple and avoid unnecessary duplication – one piece of evidence per outcome will usually suffice

• Be careful with tests – because the learner must achieve 100% to achieve the unit

• Be careful with copied material – it doesn’t always mean that the learner has read and understood (but copying can be a skill)


Level

• Even though UAS is not a qualification, units must be given a level - pre-Entry, Entry, Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3

• Level decided by matching outcomes to QCF descriptors using a best fit approach – you are in the best position to know what level your learners are working at, eg Level 1 = GCSE D-G

• When deciding on a level, consider the outcomes and evidence

• No account can be taken that learners may work at a higher level than a unit requires – if this is the case, you need to write a more demanding unit


UAS Minor Amendment Process

• You can take any existing unit and make small changes to it so that it becomes a new unit

• This procedure is free

• You must use the Word unit template on the website to submit a minor amended unit (ie a new unit) - we will give it a new code.


The Validation Process (1)

• Unit writers of all new or amended units must ensure each unit is clear and is a worthwhile learning experience for the learner

• All submissions of units must be made with the knowledge and approval of the Co-ordinator

• Each new or minor amended unit must be submitted to UAS using the Word unit template on the website


The Validation Process (2)

• Where amendments are needed, a Scrutineer’s report will be e-mailed to the Centre Co-ordinator

• It is the Co-ordinator’s responsibility to agree necessary changes with unit writers and return the amended unit to UAS

• Average time from submission to validation is about 8 weeks

• The unit will be added to the website once validated

• There is a small fee for the validation of brand new units.

Documents

Unit Award Scheme UNIT WRITING TRAINING Copyright © AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved