2396 failure rate


The Level 4 Design Erection and Verification results were abysmal. 170 candidates sat the exam and around 106 failed. I had eight candidates, all passed bar one. You can imagine how he is feeling. He is a very capable guy in a supervisory role for a company specialising in the installation of industrial control systems. He comes from a solid electrical installation background. He has just emailed me seeking feedback as to why he might have failed. Unfortunately I cannot do that as I don’t know the questions he was asked, they are a closely guarded secret in City and Guilds. The Chief Examiners Report is of little use as it does not reveal the questions posed in the exam.  Its  a little bit like a restaurant critic assessing  a meal but not saying what was ordered! 
I am an advocate of encouraging lads to go beyond the normal level three, it’s good for them and for our industry. However, if City and Guilds are not prepared to provide example questions with exemplar answers, how in heavens name can tutors provide well-founded feedback to encourage lads to have another go!

Parents
  • The primary thing that thwarts a positive outcome in the 2396 is time. It is a very precious commodity and needs to be used wisely.
    Referring to the course handbook, it is recommended that the TQT (total qualification time) is 100 hours, made up of a GLH (guided learning hours) component of 30 hours, and the remaining 70 hours divided between the project and self-study with a recommendation of 40 hours allocated to the project.

    Centres are free to arrange delivery as they see fit. Some Centres see the GLH recommendation of 30 hours as being justification for a meat-grinder delivery of 5 consecutive days. I know of one centre that offers the course this way and has had, on occasions, a100% failure rate.

    Because I felt the recommended time considerations indicated by City and Guilds were inadequate to deliver a worthwhile course with a reasonable prospect of exam success, I persuaded my Centre to offer the course over 6 days, one day per week over 6 consecutive weeks with homework assignments each week. However, one needs to bear in mind that Centres are often bound by commercial imperatives and whilst another couple of additional tutor days would be beneficial, those tutor days need to be paid for. 

    We always programme the course so that it terminates 2 weeks short of the written exam date. I then offer the candidates 2 extra revision days free of charge. The Centre provides the facilities including lunch free of charge and I provide my time free of charge. 
    We also form a WA group at the commencement of the course which candidates can use to confer and collaborate on their homework assignments. I make myself available 7-days per week to answer queries. 
    For many of the lads time is also constrained by work, family and social commitments so they are well warned before they start the course or part with a single penny, that the course will be demanding in that regard.

    I have been tutoring part-time for well over 30 years while, at the same time, attending to the demands of my own business. It has been and continues to be, a boundless privilege to help lads and, sadly, very infrequently, lassies, in tackling, enjoying and benefitting from the various qualifications on offer in the electrical installation industry so that they can be the best that they can be. 
    Some think I am silly to be so free with my time, but let me tell you that the learning is never one way. I too have benefited greatly and giving a couple of extra days free of charge is a very small price to pay.

    So there you go, the likely reason for consistent above average 2396 exam success is more to do with the prudent allocation of time on everyone’s part rather than some special quality the tutor might have! 

Reply
  • The primary thing that thwarts a positive outcome in the 2396 is time. It is a very precious commodity and needs to be used wisely.
    Referring to the course handbook, it is recommended that the TQT (total qualification time) is 100 hours, made up of a GLH (guided learning hours) component of 30 hours, and the remaining 70 hours divided between the project and self-study with a recommendation of 40 hours allocated to the project.

    Centres are free to arrange delivery as they see fit. Some Centres see the GLH recommendation of 30 hours as being justification for a meat-grinder delivery of 5 consecutive days. I know of one centre that offers the course this way and has had, on occasions, a100% failure rate.

    Because I felt the recommended time considerations indicated by City and Guilds were inadequate to deliver a worthwhile course with a reasonable prospect of exam success, I persuaded my Centre to offer the course over 6 days, one day per week over 6 consecutive weeks with homework assignments each week. However, one needs to bear in mind that Centres are often bound by commercial imperatives and whilst another couple of additional tutor days would be beneficial, those tutor days need to be paid for. 

    We always programme the course so that it terminates 2 weeks short of the written exam date. I then offer the candidates 2 extra revision days free of charge. The Centre provides the facilities including lunch free of charge and I provide my time free of charge. 
    We also form a WA group at the commencement of the course which candidates can use to confer and collaborate on their homework assignments. I make myself available 7-days per week to answer queries. 
    For many of the lads time is also constrained by work, family and social commitments so they are well warned before they start the course or part with a single penny, that the course will be demanding in that regard.

    I have been tutoring part-time for well over 30 years while, at the same time, attending to the demands of my own business. It has been and continues to be, a boundless privilege to help lads and, sadly, very infrequently, lassies, in tackling, enjoying and benefitting from the various qualifications on offer in the electrical installation industry so that they can be the best that they can be. 
    Some think I am silly to be so free with my time, but let me tell you that the learning is never one way. I too have benefited greatly and giving a couple of extra days free of charge is a very small price to pay.

    So there you go, the likely reason for consistent above average 2396 exam success is more to do with the prudent allocation of time on everyone’s part rather than some special quality the tutor might have! 

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