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Assessing pupils' progress (APP)

What is APP?

APP is a structured approach to pupil assessment in English so teachers can:

  • track pupils' progress in reading and writing through Key Stage 3
  • use diagnostic information about pupils' strengths and weaknesses.

Based on the assessment focuses (AFs) that underpin National Curriculum assessment, the approach improves the quality and reliability of teachers' assessment. It has proved to be robust, manageable and effective in practice.

APP: the basic approach

The APP approach is straightforward. At regular intervals, which are planned to fit in with school assessment policy, teachers review pupils' work using APP guidelines to build a profile of their attainment. The information gained from the process allows teachers to:

  • analyse by AF the relative strengths and weaknesses of each pupil (pupils at levels 3–8)
  • assign each pupil an overall National Curriculum level for reading and for writing
  • use this information to set curricular targets to strengthen pupils' learning and inform their own future teaching by making links to the relevant objectives from the renewed Framework.

Standards grids

Use the links within the standards grids below to access new Assessing Pupil Progress (APP) resources. These have been revised to incorporate the full range of assessment focuses for reading, and extended to include new assessment criteria for levels 2 to 8 (324.4 KB).

The APP handbook (1.32 MB) sets out the background and rationale for APP and is a necessary starting point if you are planning to implement APP across the department. 

Assessment guidelines (531.03 KB)

Key

IE = insufficient evidence.

HWP = Handwriting and presentation, which is only assessed at levels 1–3. The KS3 standards files for level 3 do not provide evidence of this aspect.

Reading standards files
Year Overall level Pupil Assessment focuses and levels
AF1 AF2 AF3 AF4 AF5 AF6 AF7
7 Secure 3 Pupil 1 (703.74 KB)   4 3 IE 3 3 3
7 Secure 4 Pupil 2 (740.76 KB) 5
 5
 IE
 4
 4
 4
8 Secure 4 Pupil 3 (629.09 KB) 5 4
 IE 4 4
 4
9 Low 4
 Pupil 4 (581.84 KB) 4 4 4
 4
 4
 IE
7 Secure 5 Pupil 5 (888.58 KB) 5 5 5
 5
 4
 IE
8 Secure 5 Pupil 6 (680.79 KB) 5
 5
 5
 5
 5 IE
9 Low 5 Pupil 7 (809.35 KB) 5
 4 IE
 5
 5 5
9
 Low 6 Pupil 8 (880 KB) 6 6
 5
 6 6
 5
9
 Secure 6 Pupil 17 (967.5 KB) 7 6
 6
 6
 7
 6
9 Low 7 Pupil 18 (444.93 KB) 7 7 7 7
 7
 7
8
 Low 8
 Pupil 19 (1.01 MB) 8 8 8
 8
 8
 7
Writing standards files
Year Overall level Pupil Assessment focuses and levels
AF5 AF6 AF3 AF4 AF1 AF2 AF7 AF8 HWP
7 High 3 Pupil 9 (503.59 KB) 3
 3 4 4 4
 3 3 4  
7 Secure 4 Pupil 10 (475.87 KB) 4 4
 4 4 4 4
 4
 4
8
 Low 4 Pupil 11 (579.46 KB)
 4 3
 4
 4 4
 3
 4
 4
9
 Low 4
 Pupil 12 (466.26 KB)
 4 4
 3
 3
 4
 4
 3
 3
7
 Secure 5 Pupil 13 (740.29 KB) 5 5 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 6
8 Low 5
 Pupil 14 (650.89 KB) 5
 4
 5
 4 5
 5
 4 4
9 Secure 5 Pupil 15 (664.52 KB) 5
 4
 5
 5 5
 5
 5
 5
8
 Low 6
 Pupil 16 (672.19 KB) 6
 6
 5
 5
 6
 6
 6
 6
9 Secure 7
 Pupil 20 (823.17 KB) 7
 7
 7
 7
 7
 7
 7
 7
9 Secure 8 Pupil 21 (1022.78 KB) 8
 8 8
 8
 8 8
 8
 8

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