About Jackie Ackerman

Alongside her examining work, Jackie has extensive classroom experience and has worked directly with History departments to support teaching, assessment and internal moderation practice.

This combined perspective allows her to translate examiner expectations into practical strategies that departments can apply confidently in the classroom.

Through her examining work, Jackie has developed a detailed insight into how examiners apply mark schemes and assessment objectives when awarding marks.

One of the most common challenges in otherwise strong departments is subtle variation in how teachers interpret level descriptors and assessment criteria.

These small differences can affect internal moderation, predicted grades and student confidence in understanding how to reach the highest levels of response.

Jackie works with History departments to strengthen moderation consistency and ensure that teachers share a clear and confident understanding of how mark schemes are applied across different question types.

This work helps departments:

• Strengthen internal moderation
• Improve confidence in predicted grades
• Ensure students clearly understand examiner expectations

Through years of examining and working with schools, Jackie observed that many strong departments were facing similar challenges around moderation alignment and the practical application of assessment objectives.

Teachers were often working hard and teaching effectively, but small differences in how the mark scheme was interpreted could create uncertainty within departments and for students.

HISTORA™ was developed to provide a clear framework that helps departments move from uncertainty to clarity in how assessment is understood, applied and communicated in the classroom.

HISTORA™ is a structured approach designed to help History departments achieve clarity and consistency in assessment practice.

The framework focuses on three key areas:

• Mark scheme interpretation
• Department moderation alignment
• Translating assessment objectives into classroom teaching

Jackie works with History departments in independent and international schools to strengthen assessment practice and moderation alignment at GCSE and IGCSE level.

Her work focuses on helping departments ensure that teaching, internal moderation and student preparation remain fully aligned with current examination standards.

Alongside departmental work, Jackie continues to contribute to examining and assessment practice within the History subject community.

• Independent schools
• International British curriculum schools
• History departments preparing students for GCSE and IGCSE examinations

Schools typically get in touch when they want to ensure that their department’s understanding of the GCSE or IGCSE mark scheme is fully aligned with current examiner expectations.

Often the department is already strong, but small differences can develop over time in how teachers interpret assessment objectives, level descriptors or extended responses.

These differences can affect internal moderation, predicted grade confidence and the clarity students have about how to reach the highest levels of response.

Jackie’s work helps departments identify and resolve these issues so that teachers share a consistent understanding of how marks are awarded and students can approach examinations with greater clarity and confidence.

Jackie works with a limited number of schools each year through the HISTORA™ Leadership Stabilisation Diagnostic and longer-term departmental alignment programmes.

These engagements are designed to help departments ensure that teaching, assessment and moderation practices are fully aligned with current examination standards.