When is a devolved assessment not a simulation? How is a central assessment different from an exam? And, more importantly, why do you need to know?

As an external verifier for the AAT, I regularly visit colleges and other centres where I meet students (and even tutors) who confuse these terms. A typical statement is: "We’re doing a devolved [meaning simulation] next week, and then it’s the exam [meaning central assessment]".

I’m concerned is that, rather than just being a case of incorrect use of terminology, this may betray a deeper misunderstanding of the crucial fundamentals of the AAT’s education and training scheme. So perhaps it’s time to provide a short revision course.

Devolved assessment means one that is carried out by an approved assessment centre (AAC). These are given local powers, overseen by but separate from the AAT, just as devolved government will mean local powers for the Scottish and Welsh assemblies, overseen by but distinct from central government in London.

A simulation is just one form of devolved assessment. The preferred form is based on real workplace evidence of competence - evidence demonstrating that the student can do the job for real. This is usually documentation produced or processed by the student, but it can include witness statements, employer testimony, observation, oral questioning and supplementary testing. Most units will require a combination of methods.

But a devolved assessment should never be incidental to central assessments. Last year’s revision of standards for intermediate and technician stages means that more units are now assessed only by devolved means, so these are more important than ever.

Central assessments are administered and controlled directly by the AAT and there are good reasons why they get confused with exams. Students sit in an exam hall with invigilators, they are time-constrained and are not allowed access to books or reference materials. Like exams, assessments are feared and dreaded.

But in their content, presentation and marking, assessments are quite distinct. Exams tend to be based on a wide syllabus, only parts which are tested at a particular sitting. They are designed to test recall of knowledge, with some application of techniques to specific problems. They are notoriously difficult to complete in the time allowed, and passmarks are typically around 50 per cent.

Central assessments, on the other hand, cover all aspects of the prescribed standards and test students’ ability to perform tasks based on realistic situations and to communicate information to the users of accounts. They aim to allow enough time to complete all tasks. A competent candidate needs to do more than achieve a minimum passmark.

Preparing for a central assessment does not involve learning to pass exams. You need to develop skills, backed by knowledge and understanding, that can be applied to practical situations. Equally, preparing for a devolved assessment does not mean learning to do simulations, but involves presenting evidence to demonstrate competence in the typical work of an accounting technician. Students not in relevant employment must rely on simulations.

So, is it just a matter of language? Does everyone involved really understand the fundamental philosophy of the NVQ system and the way AAT model is supposed to work? I hope so.

The education and training scheme is seven years old this year. This is long enough for its principles to have been fully absorbed and adopted. And it is long enough, surely, for us not just to have learnt to use the jargon, but also to have put into practice the principles of a competence-based system thoroughly and completely.

Richard Jones is an external verifier

AT, July 1999, page 39