Covid-19 and CEM Assessments

For this summer’s awards, schools and colleges are being asked to provide centre assessment grades for their students. Reviewing MidYIS, Yellis or Alis/CEMIBE data that you have for your students can help you take an informed and objective view when setting their grades.

For secondary systems, consider Chances Graphs, Predictions Spreadsheets for your cohort, and Individual Pupil Records. You should also look at your school value added report for subject-level information to take into consideration.

For post-16 students, consider Predictions Spreadsheets from both baseline assessment and average GCSE scores, Individual Pupil Reports and Chances Graphs. You should also look at and take into consideration your value-added summary report, which shows a three-year average for all subjects.

We’ve provided some further information about how Yellis and Alis data can help you when considering grade predictions this year.

Yes you can - just log in to your Secondary+ or Alis+ secure account for results upload guidance.

If you are uploading previous years’ exam results data, please also contact our customer support team (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) before you do so, so that we can make sure that everything runs smoothly for you.

Yes. CEM products will use the grades awarded to students this year to calculate value-added progress measures.

No. We do not recommend that you attempt to assess students remotely.

The aim of a baseline assessment is to get an objective picture of a student’s skills in the core areas of vocabulary, maths and non-verbal skills (such as proofreading).

The information you get from our baseline assessments will only be a true reflection of a student’s abilities if the student does not receive any help when taking it. As it is extremely difficult to monitor the environment of the assessment remotely, we cannot guarantee the results would be an accurate reflection of their skills.

We appreciate that many schools will not be able to assess students at this time. It may be possible to extend your testing window for the 2019/20 assessments so that your students may sit the assessment when your school reopens.

If you require an extension please contact our team: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We appreciate that many schools will not be able to assess students at this time. It may be possible to extend your testing window for the 2019/20 assessments so that your students may sit the assessment when your school reopens.

If you want to discuss your options further, please contact our team: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We have opened the testing windows early for Aspects, BASE and PIPS so that you may assess as many of your students possible while your school remains open.

You may wish to assess your students with InCAS while you are still open, if you have not already done so.

If you cannot use your primary assessments before your school closes, the testing window can be extended. Please email us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The testing windows for the 2019/20 MidYIS, Yellis and Alis assessments can be extended. Please email us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you need an extension.

There is no direct impact expected on the standardisations if you opt to assess your students a couple of months earlier or later than expected.

If you would normally assess students in the early testing window, for 2020/21 assessments you will be able to assess your students as soon as you return to school.

We are opening the testing window for the BASE end of year assessment early so that you may assess as many of your students as possible while your school remains open.

If your school has closed before you are able to assess your students, please contact us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We understand UK schools have concerns around their admissions process this year and may well have overseas applicants they would like to complete an entrance test in their home country.

We are working with Cambridge Assessment International Education to investigate using their approved centres, as well as the British Council. CEM would need to ensure the testing school/centre has appropriate testing environments, security for the CEM tests as well as staff to invigilate and administer the CEM tests.

We are pursuing this option in the hopes of having it available for Autumn 2020. However the complexity of ensuring security of the test and associated data, arranging centre contracts, along with the importance of providing a safe environment for applicants is causing the process to be a slow one.

We are not planning to change the content of our admissions tests in light of the COVID-19 situation. Our assessments aim to measure underlying skills and aptitudes and are designed to be taken by learners with a wide range of ability. We are confident that our assessments will continue to be effective at differentiating learners, even in light of a gap in schooling. Developing new tests or making significant changes to the existing ones introduces considerably more risk. We would not be able to gather sufficient evidence to assure the quality of the new or revised assessment for differentiating learner ability.

If you wish to extend the use of the assessments past July and conduct them when your school reopens, please let us know by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If your school has not yet closed, please consider allowing your potential intake to sit the test as soon as possible.

We are working closely with our Entrance Assessment customers to look at next steps as the situation develops.

If you are an Entrance Assessment customer please email us in This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Our digital entrance tests are designed to be sat by candidates in a secure location on the contracted party’s computers. The reasons for this are:

1. Schools can manage who is sitting the test
2. It minimises the risk that the test and its content could be compromised

Due to the COVID-19 situation, we are currently looking at alternatives that would allow the continuity of our CEM Select service from home, including the use of online proctoring platforms. We will keep customers updated with any news on developments and decisions.

For this summer’s awards, schools and colleges are being asked to provide centre assessment grades for their students. You can find the official guidance from Ofqual here.

At this stage we do not anticipate that there will be a significant impact on the standardisations if you opt to assess your students slightly earlier or later than expected.