T Level Technical Qualification in Digital
Production, Design and Development
Core Paper 1: Digital Analysis Legislation & Emerging Issues
Mark scheme
Version 1.0
1
,General Marking Guidance
• All learners must receive the same treatment. Examiners must mark the first learner in
exactly the same way as they mark the last.
• Mark schemes should be applied positively. Learners must be rewarded for what they have
shown they can do rather than penalised for omissions.
• Examiners should mark according to the mark scheme not according to their perception of
where the grade boundaries may lie.
• All marks on the mark scheme should be used appropriately.
• All the marks on the mark scheme are designed to be awarded. Examiners should always
award full marks if deserved. Examiners should also be prepared to award zero marks if the
learner’s response is not rewardable according to the mark scheme.
• Where judgement is required, a mark scheme will provide the principles by which marks will
be awarded.
• When examiners are in doubt regarding the application of the mark scheme to a learner’s
response, a senior examiner should be consulted.
• Crossed out work should be marked unless the learner has replaced it with an alternative
response.
• Accept incorrect/phonetic spelling (as long as the term is recognisable) unless instructed
otherwise.
Points-Based Mark Scheme Guidance
Points-based mark schemes are made up of:
1. Mark scheme rubric
A mark scheme rubric instructs an examiner as to how each mark is awarded.
2. Example Responses
These demonstrate the type of acceptable responses that a student might provide and where
each mark is awarded.
3. Additional marking Guidance
This informs examiners about any parameters which should be applied e.g. ‘accept any other
appropriate/alternative responses’.
Applying the points-based mark scheme guidance
Examiners should follow the mark scheme rubric and use the example responses as a guide for
the relevance and expectation of the responses. Students must be credited for any appropriate
response. Should candidates provide answers that meet the rubric but in an alternative order,
credit should be given.
2
, Levels-Based Mark Scheme Guidance
Levels-based mark schemes (LBMS) have been designed to assess students’ work holistically.
They consist of two parts:
1. Indicative content
Indicative content reflects content-related points that a student might make but is not an
exhaustive list. Nor is it a model answer. Students may make some or none of the points
included in the indicative content as its purpose is as a guide for the relevance and expectation
of the responses. Students must be credited for any appropriate response.
2. Levels-based descriptors
Each level is made up of a number of traits which when combined together articulate the quality
of response that a student needs to demonstrate. The traits progress across the levels to
demonstrate the different expectations of each level. When using a levels-based mark scheme,
the ‘best fit’ approach should be used.
Applying the levels-based descriptors
Examiners should take a ‘best fit’ approach to determining the mark.
• Examiners should first make a holistic judgement on which level most closely matches the
student’s response. Students will be placed in the level that best describes their answer.
Answers can display characteristics from more than one level, and where this happens
markers must use any additional guidance (e.g. weighting of traits) and their professional
judgement to decide which level is most appropriate.
• The mark awarded within the level will be decided based on the quality of the answer and
will be modified according to how securely all traits are displayed at that level:
o Marks will be awarded at the top of that level if the student has evidenced each of the
descriptor traits securely.
o Where the response does not securely meet all traits, the marks should be awarded
based on how closely the descriptor has been met.
3
Production, Design and Development
Core Paper 1: Digital Analysis Legislation & Emerging Issues
Mark scheme
Version 1.0
1
,General Marking Guidance
• All learners must receive the same treatment. Examiners must mark the first learner in
exactly the same way as they mark the last.
• Mark schemes should be applied positively. Learners must be rewarded for what they have
shown they can do rather than penalised for omissions.
• Examiners should mark according to the mark scheme not according to their perception of
where the grade boundaries may lie.
• All marks on the mark scheme should be used appropriately.
• All the marks on the mark scheme are designed to be awarded. Examiners should always
award full marks if deserved. Examiners should also be prepared to award zero marks if the
learner’s response is not rewardable according to the mark scheme.
• Where judgement is required, a mark scheme will provide the principles by which marks will
be awarded.
• When examiners are in doubt regarding the application of the mark scheme to a learner’s
response, a senior examiner should be consulted.
• Crossed out work should be marked unless the learner has replaced it with an alternative
response.
• Accept incorrect/phonetic spelling (as long as the term is recognisable) unless instructed
otherwise.
Points-Based Mark Scheme Guidance
Points-based mark schemes are made up of:
1. Mark scheme rubric
A mark scheme rubric instructs an examiner as to how each mark is awarded.
2. Example Responses
These demonstrate the type of acceptable responses that a student might provide and where
each mark is awarded.
3. Additional marking Guidance
This informs examiners about any parameters which should be applied e.g. ‘accept any other
appropriate/alternative responses’.
Applying the points-based mark scheme guidance
Examiners should follow the mark scheme rubric and use the example responses as a guide for
the relevance and expectation of the responses. Students must be credited for any appropriate
response. Should candidates provide answers that meet the rubric but in an alternative order,
credit should be given.
2
, Levels-Based Mark Scheme Guidance
Levels-based mark schemes (LBMS) have been designed to assess students’ work holistically.
They consist of two parts:
1. Indicative content
Indicative content reflects content-related points that a student might make but is not an
exhaustive list. Nor is it a model answer. Students may make some or none of the points
included in the indicative content as its purpose is as a guide for the relevance and expectation
of the responses. Students must be credited for any appropriate response.
2. Levels-based descriptors
Each level is made up of a number of traits which when combined together articulate the quality
of response that a student needs to demonstrate. The traits progress across the levels to
demonstrate the different expectations of each level. When using a levels-based mark scheme,
the ‘best fit’ approach should be used.
Applying the levels-based descriptors
Examiners should take a ‘best fit’ approach to determining the mark.
• Examiners should first make a holistic judgement on which level most closely matches the
student’s response. Students will be placed in the level that best describes their answer.
Answers can display characteristics from more than one level, and where this happens
markers must use any additional guidance (e.g. weighting of traits) and their professional
judgement to decide which level is most appropriate.
• The mark awarded within the level will be decided based on the quality of the answer and
will be modified according to how securely all traits are displayed at that level:
o Marks will be awarded at the top of that level if the student has evidenced each of the
descriptor traits securely.
o Where the response does not securely meet all traits, the marks should be awarded
based on how closely the descriptor has been met.
3
