Read the mind of APM marker Q1

Read the mind of an APM marker ADVANCED PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT (APM) SPECIMEN EXAM Q1

Contents INTRODUCTION 3 QUESTION 1 4 Observations on the requirement 4 Specimen exam marked answers 5 Question 1 candidate one 5 Notes on candidate one’s answer to Q1 9 Question 1 candidate two 10 Notes on candidate two’s answer to Q1 13 READ THE MIND OF AN APM MARKER – Q1 2

Introduction I am a member of the team who marks Advanced Performance Management. This article is designed to give you, the candidate, an insight into my mind, so that you can better understand what a marker will be looking for when it comes to marking your Advanced Performance Management response. Insight into a marker’s thinking – appreciating what we are trained to look for, what we award marks for, the reasons why marks may not be awarded – will help you fulfil your potential and gain the necessary marks to pass. It will help you appreciate the points that will attract marks so that you can better assess your answers when practicing questions. This article uses two candidates’ answers to Question 1 from the APM specimen exam. To support your reading of this article, you should refer to the specimen exam on the ACCA Practice Platform. You may also find it interesting to refer to the published answers for the specimen exam, noting the differences and comparing the length and style to the candidates’ answers seen in this article. It’s important to remember that you don’t need to replicate the published answer to achieve a pass. You can access the answers on the ACCA Practice Platform. READ THE MIND OF AN APM MARKER – Q1 3

Question 1 Observations on the requirement Question 1 is typical of a Section A question where a report is asked for by a senior member of an organisation to address a number of connected performance measurement and management issues. The context for this question is a public sector police service and it focused on the choice of critical success factors and resulting key performance indicators (a key starting point for performance measurement); an evaluation of whether the police service is providing value for money and finally the impact of introducing league tables. READ THE MIND OF AN APM MARKER – Q1 4

Specimen exam marked answers Question 1 candidate one Roll your cursor over each numbered note for the marks awarded and marker’s comments to appear in the right side panel: Marks awarded and comments: 1/3 READ THE MIND OF AN APM MARKER – Q1 5

Specimen exam marked answers Question 1 candidate one Roll your cursor over each of the highlighted cells in the spreadsheet to view the formulas that were used. Roll your cursor over each numbered note for the marks awarded and marker’s comments to appear in the right side panel: Marks awarded and comments: READ THE MIND OF AN APM MARKER – Q1 8

Notes on candidate one’s answer to Q1 Summary of marks: TECHNICAL: Part i 14 Part ii 11 ( 8 on word processor, 3 on spreadsheet) Part iii 9 TOTAL technical marks 34 PROFESSIONAL: Communication 5 Analysis and Evaluation 3 Scepticism 1 Commercial Acumen 3 TOTAL professional marks 12 (max 10) OVERALL TOTAL 44/50 READ THE MIND OF AN APM MARKER – Q1 9

Specimen exam marked answers Question 1 candidate two Roll your cursor over each numbered note for the marks awarded and marker’s comments to appear in the right side panel: Marks awarded and comments: 1/2 READ THE MIND OF AN APM MARKER – Q1 10

Specimen exam marked answers Question 1 candidate two Marks awarded and comments: Roll your cursor over each of the highlighted cells in the spreadsheet to view the formulas that were used. Roll your cursor over each numbered note for the marks awarded and marker’s comments to appear in the right side panel: READ THE MIND OF AN APM MARKER – Q1 12

Notes on candidate two’s answer to Q1 Summary of marks: How could this answer have been improved? TECHNICAL: Part i 4 Part ii 5 ( 3 on word processor, 2 on spreadsheet) Part iii 4 TOTAL technical marks 13 PROFESSIONAL: Communication 3 Analysis and Evaluation 1 Scepticism 0 Commercial Acumen 1 TOTAL professional marks 5 OVERALL TOTAL 18/50 1. The requirement for (i) asked for justification of why the CSFs had been refined and justified recommendations of up to TWO KPIs for each CSF. Limited marks were scored because little justification of the points being made was provided. It is important to always add the ‘why’ to points. KPIs must link to the CSF to gain credit so thinking carefully about what a CSF is trying to achieve is vital when determining how it should be measured. 2. Make sure, if the CEO has made a specific request (in this instance not to offer more than two KPIs per CSF), that this request is followed as this will affect the professional skill of communication. 3. Take care with the calculations to not make silly errors, which could have been avoided with consistent use of the spreadsheet functionality. 4. Answers in APM expect more than just writing down knowledge/definitions and the response to the VFM requirement (part ii) did not supply any evaluation of whether the Deeland Police provided a VFM service. Linking the data together and to the 3Es would have scored more technical and more Analysis and Evaluation marks as the points are being supported with evidence from the scenario. 5. Part (iii) lacks structure in responding to the requirement and so provides a limited answer to the use of league tables. This then limited both the technical and Analysis and Evaluation marks which could be awarded. A better approach would have been to assess the advantages and disadvantages of league tables, including in the latter the impact on police officer behaviour. 6. Generally, the responses are too brief for the number of marks available. Careful consideration should be given to the mark allocation and the number of developed points required to score a passing technical mark. Developing technical answers will also score professional marks as it will more effectively demonstrate the skills being assessed. READ THE MIND OF AN APM MARKER – Q1 13

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