ICASS Cycles & Mark Capture

Summary

This guide shows SDP staff how to run Internal Continuous Assessment (ICASS) in skillSYMS: creating an assessment cycle with its deadlines, capturing marks per task and learner, recording attendance, bulk-uploading results, and calculating term marks. Keeping ICASS organised by cycle is what makes term and submission deadlines manageable.

Who This Guide Is For

• SDP staff managing internal continuous assessment
• Academic coordinators tracking task and submission deadlines
• Data-capture staff entering or importing marks

Prerequisites

• Programmes and subjects configured for the qualification
• Your delivery model known (trimester or semester)
• The QCTO/SETA deadlines for the term to hand

Step 1: Review the ICASS Dashboard

Navigate to ICASS.

The dashboard shows Active Cycles, Subjects Configured, Tasks This Term, and Marks Captured, plus the current cycle’s deadlines (Task Admin, Mark Capture, Moderation, Submission) and an Upcoming Deadlines list with urgency badges. Use the six module cards to jump to Assessment Cycles, Subject Configuration, Assessment Tasks, Mark Capture, Moderation, and Reports & Exports.

Step 2: Create an Assessment Cycle

Navigate to ICASS → Assessment Cycles.

Click Create Cycle and complete:

1. Year and Cycle Name (for example, April, August, November, or June)
2. Delivery Type — Engineering (Trimester) or Business Studies (Semester)
3. Cycle Start Date and Cycle End Date
4. Deadlines — Task Admin, Mark Capture, Moderation, and Submission
5. Exam Start/End Dates if applicable

Cycle cards show status (Draft, Active, Closed), dates, and subject count. Use the Year, Delivery Type, and Status filters to find a cycle, and Manage to open it.

Tip: Enter every deadline when you create the cycle. The dashboard’s Upcoming Deadlines list is only as useful as the dates you give it.

Step 3: Capture Marks

Navigate to ICASS → Mark Capture.

Select the Cycle, Subject, and Task, then use the search box to find a learner by name or student number. For each row:

1. Enter the Raw Mark (the percentage calculates automatically against Total Marks)
2. Set Attendance — Present, Absent, Absent with Reason, Deferred, or Sick
3. Click Save

The stat cards show Tasks Available, Marks Captured, Pending, and Completion Rate so you can see how close the task is to done.

Step 4: Bulk Upload Marks

For large groups, click Bulk Upload on the Mark Capture page and upload a CSV with the columns student_number, raw_mark, and attendance_status. The drag-and-drop importer validates the file before applying it.

Tip: Export or copy an existing learner list to build your CSV so the student numbers match exactly — mismatches are the most common bulk-upload error.

Step 5: Calculate Term Marks

Once all tasks for a subject are captured, click Calculate Term Marks to roll the task marks into the term mark for the cycle.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Creating cycles without deadlines — the deadline tracker then shows nothing
2. Capturing against the wrong task — always confirm Cycle, Subject, and Task first
3. Skipping attendance — Absent/Deferred/Sick states matter for compliance
4. Calculating term marks too early — wait until every task is captured

Verification Checklist

• The current cycle is Active with all deadlines set
• Marks are captured (or bulk-uploaded) for every task
• Attendance is recorded for every learner
• Completion Rate reads 100% before term-mark calculation
• Term marks have been calculated for the cycle

Next Steps

• Moderation Sampling — moderate ICASS results
• Recording Competency Decisions — competency outcomes alongside marks
• Statement of Results — issue results from the cycle
• Reporting & Exports — export ICASS data