NEA Information for students

What is NEA?

NEA stands for Non-Examination Assessment although most people would still consider it to be coursework.  You prepare for and work to produce the NEA throughout your course but the final project must be fully submitted by the 31st of March in the year you are sitting your examination.  Oxford Open Learning tutors will help you prepare for, mark and carry out initial moderation of your NEA.

Arranging your exam if you are doing NEA

If you are studying AQA A Level English Language, English Literature or History or GCSE English, then your subject has an NEA component and the way you book your exams is different from any other subject.

Here is a brief summary of the exam process;

Oxford Open Learning (OOL) will be your “ENTERING CENTRE” i.e. the centre where you make your exam entry and you will pay us for this and for dealing with your coursework and marking it. You will not sit your written exam papers at OOL, you will sit these at what is known as a “HOST” centre. Your host centre will usually be somewhere that is closer to where you live. You must find your host centre first. In order to do this, you should follow the instructions under “Student Information” on our website they are the same as for finding a normal centre. You will need to explain that you are a Candidate with Oxford Open Learning (make this clear, it often helps) and you are looking for somewhere that will accept you as a “TRANSFER CANDIDATE” for the written exams only. The host centre does not have anything to do with your NEA/coursework, we deal with all of that, they do not have to pay anything to AQA, they only have to fill in their centre details on the transfer form and offer you a place to sit the written exam. You pay them for this.

Here is the sequence of events;

1. Look for a host centre, preferably before the Christmas holidays as many places now get full very early. Use the instructions on our website. We cannot take your entry until you can confirm and provide details of your host centre.
2. For your own information take a look at a copy of the Transfer candidate forms You will see that the host centre has very little to fill in (page 4) and you may need to explain this to the exam officer. OHS will send this form to the host centre at the appropriate time.
3. When you have found an exam officer to help, explain that you want them to host your written papers but not deal with your coursework. Say that OOL will:
   • make the exam entry,
   • mark the NEA/coursework and
   • sort out any enquiries about results.
   • send the exam officer the transfer form
   • arrange payment of the transfer fee to AQA
   • deal with any SENCO issues

   Jenny Booth, jenny@ool.co.uk or tel. 01865 798022, will be happy to speak to them to explain further if necessary.

4. If the exam officer agrees to help you, ask for confirmation in an email, or even better find out their fee for hosting the exam and pay them straight away. You do not want to be in a situation where the exam officer gets very busy during February and changes their mind about helping you.
5. When you have confirmed your host centre, immediately contact Jenny Booth at OOL and arrange to make and pay for your full exam entry. Do not arrange your host centre and then forget to make the full exam entry, this could be extremely expensive or even not possible at all. Entry fees are on our website.