On entering Queen Anne’s in Lower Four (L4/Year 7), all girls take a series of aptitude and reasoning tests. Girls who enter after L4 take tests in Upper Four (U4/Year 9) and all pupils are tested again in Lower Five (L5/Year 10). These tests, known as MIDYIS (Years 7 and 9) and YELLIS (Year 10), are set and evaluated by the University of Durham’s Centre for Educational Measurement; they are taken by thousands of pupils every year throughout the United Kingdom in both the independent and maintained sectors.

The results of these tests are used to predict a girl’s attainment in all school subjects at GCSE level. Together with our own professional judgement, they enable us to form a benchmark against which to monitor an individual pupil’s academic performance throughout the school. A careful comparison is made between predicted grades and a girl’s termly attainment grades and yearly examination grades in individual subjects. Particular attention is also given to effort grades and subject teachers’ comments.

For both attainment and effort, separate grades are used for different criteria to arrive at an overall grade. Attainment criteria are subject specific and, in certain subjects, the weighting of criteria is used. Effort criteria are common to all subjects.

The attainment and examination grades for Lower Four to Upper Four (Years 7 to 9) are as follows

1. Excellent
2. Very good
3. Good
4. Sound
5. Some weakness

In Lower Five to Upper Six (Years 10 to 13)  attainment and examination grades are awarded in line with public examination grades, i.e.

L5 and U5 A* to G
L6 and U6 A to U

There are no guidelines as to the distribution of these grades.

Throughout the school from Lower Four to the Upper Sixth effort grades are awarded as follows:

1. Excellent
2. Very good
3. Good
4. Satisfactory
5. Unsatisfactory

This information is used by Tutors who discuss reports with each individual girl at the end of every term and agree specific targets to improve performance.

Over a number of years we have been pleased to note that girls’ actual grades at GCSE have in fact been better than those predicted by the YELLIS and MIDYIS scores. At Sixth Form, we participate in the University of Durham’s ALIS scheme which predicts AS and A Level grades on the basis of prior attainment at GCSE. This scheme has proved useful in monitoring progress and in offering advice to students on university applications.