Dear Zhun El Aly

Please find attached a letter in relation to your request.

Kind regards

Freedom of Information Team

Cambridge Assessment International Education

The Triangle Building, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge, CB2 8EA

[1]www.cambridgeinternational.org

Cambridge Assessment International Education prepares school students for
life, helping them develop an informed curiosity and a lasting passion for
learning. We are part of the University of Cambridge.

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[2]Cambridge Assessment and OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations is
a company limited by guarantee, registered in England. Registered office:
The Triangle Building, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge, CB2 8EA. Company
number: 3484466 and an exempt charity) do not accept legal responsibility
for the contents of this message. Any views or opinions presented are
solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of
Cambridge Assessment or OCR unless specifically stated. The information
contained in this email may be subject to public disclosure under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 and unless legally exempt from disclosure,
the confidentiality of this email and your reply cannot be guaranteed.

References

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Dear Zhun El Aly

Your request for an internal review (sent on 13 June) has been passed to
me and I shall respond within 20 working days of receipt of the request.

Yours sincerely,

John Harris

Corporate Affairs Manager

Group Chief Executive's Office

Cambridge Assessment

Direct +44 (0)1223 553419

Address The Triangle Building, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge, CB2 8EA

Web [1]www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk

Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of the University of Cambridge
Local Examinations Syndicate, a department of the University of Cambridge.
Cambridge Assessment is a not-for-profit organisation.

Any dissemination or copying of this email or attachments is strictly
prohibited unless you are the intended recipient or are responsible for
delivering the message to the intended recipient. If you have received
this email in error, please let us know and then delete the original
emails and any attachments. Emails are not secure and therefore
[2]Cambridge Assessment and OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations is
a company limited by guarantee, registered in England. Registered office:
The Triangle Building, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge, CB2 8EA. Company
number: 3484466 and an exempt charity) do not accept legal responsibility
for the contents of this message. Any views or opinions presented are
solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of
Cambridge Assessment or OCR unless specifically stated. The information
contained in this email may be subject to public disclosure under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 and unless legally exempt from disclosure,
the confidentiality of this email and your reply cannot be guaranteed.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/
2. http://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/ab...

Dear Zhun El Aly

I am writing to let you know the outcome of my internal review of the
response to your request of 23 May regarding information held by Cambridge
International relating to the setting of grade thresholds.

Firstly I think it’s important to clarify that Cambridge International
does not use moderators for Further Mathematics 9231 nor does Cambridge
International hold meetings to discuss grade thresholds. However,
Cambridge International does consider feedback received from (external)
examiners as part of the awarding process. Therefore, colleagues
interpreted your request to mean any input from (external) examiners to
the awarding process and I can confirm that such information is held by
Cambridge International.

The setting of grade thresholds is a core process and is crucial to the
operation of any exam board. This means therefore that information about
the process is of great commercial significance and this is especially
true of Cambridge International which has to compete with a range of
national, regional and international competitors the most significant of
which will not be subject to any freedom of information legislation. It is
critical, therefore, that Cambridge International is able to protect its
commercial interests and that is why the section 43 exemption was applied
in response to your request for information.

While I am aware that there is a public interest in the delivery of
examinations and associated processes (such as the setting of grade
thresholds) I think there is a stronger public interest in preserving the
competitiveness of the qualifications market and offering learners a
choice. If we published information that could undermine our commercial
position then we could reduce our own ability to operate in the market
which I do not believe would be in the public interest and, more
importantly, the interests of potential candidates. I think the public
interest is also served by the fact that Cambridge International does
publish grade thresholds on its website and that appeal processes are in
place for any candidates who wish to challenge their results.

In the light of the above I am upholding the decision to withhold the
information you requested which applies equally to recent and older
material relating to grade thresholds. In reaching this decision I have
also been very mindful of the fact that we have a duty to look after our
examiners – the demand for examiners is competitive and there is a risk
that recruitment and retention of examiners would become more difficult if
they thought their decisions and views would be subject to wider public
scrutiny and it’s not clear to me why they should be subject to such
scrutiny when their responsibility is to us as their contracting
organisation.

If we found ourselves in a position where recruitment and retention of
examiners became harder this would also undermine our competitive position
and, while I have not considered the application of the section 36
exemption (prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs), our ability
to operate effectively would also clearly be undermined. I think that our
examiners would also reasonably expect that we would handle any feedback
they give us in confidence which also raises the question of whether the
section 41 exemption (information provided in confidence) might apply too
in this case.

If you are unhappy with this response, or the way that your complaint has
been handled, you have the right to appeal to the Information
Commissioner’s Office. You can find further information about how to do so
here - [1]https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/offici...

Regards,

John Harris

Corporate Affairs Manager

Group Chief Executive's Office

Cambridge Assessment

Direct +44 (0)1223 553419

Address The Triangle Building, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge, CB2 8EA

Web [2]www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk

Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of the University of Cambridge
Local Examinations Syndicate, a department of the University of Cambridge.
Cambridge Assessment is a not-for-profit organisation.

Any dissemination or copying of this email or attachments is strictly
prohibited unless you are the intended recipient or are responsible for
delivering the message to the intended recipient. If you have received
this email in error, please let us know and then delete the original
emails and any attachments. Emails are not secure and therefore
[3]Cambridge Assessment and OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations is
a company limited by guarantee, registered in England. Registered office:
The Triangle Building, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge, CB2 8EA. Company
number: 3484466 and an exempt charity) do not accept legal responsibility
for the contents of this message. Any views or opinions presented are
solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of
Cambridge Assessment or OCR unless specifically stated. The information
contained in this email may be subject to public disclosure under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 and unless legally exempt from disclosure,
the confidentiality of this email and your reply cannot be guaranteed.

References

Visible links
1. https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/offici...
2. http://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/
3. http://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/ab...