Centre Head and Mark Capturer Manual

1. Before you start

This manual is for the centre head (the school head account, with the role CentreAdmin). Centre heads have every feature that capturers and verifiers have, plus user management and the final approval of the centre's CA marks.

2. Signing in

1. Open the CA Marks Capturing website and click Login at the top right.
2. Type your username and password.
3. Click Log in. You land on the home page, which greets you with your centre's name.

If you have forgotten your password, ask your Regional Office to reset it. For your own staff, you can reset their passwords from the User List.

3. The menu

The blue bar at the top is on every page. It shows your username and a Logout button on the right. Below it, a dark blue Important Notice gives the CA marks capturing closing date for each level. A level whose window has ended is labelled Closed.

4. Candidates

Open the candidate list

1. Click Candidates in the menu.
2. Choose the year, level, session and entry type. For most work this is the current year, Normal Entry.
3. Click Submit.

Read the list

The page shows the total number of candidates, the level, the session and the entry type. A blue banner at the top tells you whether an amendment window is open and when it closes. Create Pirate Candidate, at the top right, registers a pirate (see Pirates). Each row shows the candidate number, name, date of birth and the number of subjects, with these buttons:

• Amend opens the amendment screen. It appears only while an amendment window is open.
• Add Pirate Subject adds pirate subjects to that candidate (see Pirates).
• Details shows everything held about the candidate.
• Confirmation opens the candidate's confirmation of entry.

Badges beside the candidate number flag candidates that need attention:

To find someone, type part of the candidate's name into the search box and click Search.

Candidate details

The Details page lists biodata, registered subjects with their CALA details, and an Amendment history that shows every change, who made it and when. Use it to check what has already been amended.

5. Amending a candidate

Amendments are possible only while an amendment window is open. When the CA Amendment window is open, the banner on the candidate list shows its closing date. Outside the window the system rejects changes.

What you can and cannot change in the CA window

Subjects

The amendment screen no longer has a button for adding subjects. To add a subject to an existing candidate, click Add Pirate Subject on the candidate's row in the list (see Pirates). Registered subjects cannot be removed or replaced here.

Correct a CALA declaration

The CALA-R circle beside a subject is available only when that subject already has CALA details. Click it, enter the previous year, previous centre number and previous candidate number, then click Ok. The system checks the details against the previous record. If they do not match, your existing declaration stays as it was. The Remove CA button is not available during CA amendments, except for a subject whose match status is Subject not found in previous sitting.

CA match status

During the CA amendment window the last column of the subject table is headed CA Validation. For every repeat subject it shows whether the CA mark sheet matched the declaration to the previous sitting, in the words used by the CA mark sheet.

6. Pirates

A pirate is a candidate who sat the exam but is missing from the centre's entry, or a candidate who sat a subject they were not entered for. Pirates are captured on their own page, which is open under Normal Entry until the centre's CA marks are approved. There are two ways in from the candidate list:

• Create Pirate Candidate, at the top right, opens the page for a new candidate.
• Add Pirate Subject, on a candidate's row, opens the same page for that candidate so you can add subjects.

Create a pirate candidate

1. On the candidate list, click Create Pirate Candidate. The Capture Pirate Candidate page opens. The centre number is filled in, and the candidate number is given when you save.
2. Fill in the personal details, demographics, contact details and candidate type, as on the normal entry form. The payment type is always SELF, and no fee is charged.
3. Click Add Pirate Subject. The subject picker opens. Tick the subjects and click Ok. Subjects that clash are greyed out, and the usual subject limits apply.
4. Choose an option for any subject that has options. For a repeat subject, enter the CALA details (previous year, previous centre number and previous candidate number). The system checks them against the previous sitting.
5. Click Save. The candidate is added to the CA mark sheet straight away. A subject whose CALA declaration matched carries its previous CA mark.

Add a pirate subject to an existing candidate

1. On the candidate list, click Add Pirate Subject on the candidate's row.
2. Check the candidate. The personal details are shown but cannot be changed here. Use Amend to correct biodata.
3. Under Registered Subjects you see the subjects the candidate already has. Subjects added earlier as pirates have a Pirate badge.
4. Click Add Pirate Subject, tick the new subjects and click Ok. The candidate's registered subjects are ticked with a padlock. The new subjects are listed under Pirate Subjects.
5. Click Save. The new subjects appear on the CA mark sheet straight away.

Removing a pirate subject

A subject with the Pirate badge has a Remove button under Registered Subjects. It works only until a CA mark has been captured for that subject. Registered (non-pirate) subjects cannot be removed, and a candidate's only subject cannot be removed.

7. User List

Click User List to see everyone who can sign in for your centre: capturers, verifiers, centre users and other centre admins. Each row shows the name, username, email, phone, role and whether the account is active.

Create a user

1. On the User List, click Create User.
2. Fill in first name, last name, username and mobile number. Email is optional. The centre number is filled in for you.
3. Choose the Role: Mark Capturer or Mark Verifier for staff who capture CA marks. Enter and confirm a password, then click Save Centre Account.

8. Validation reports

Both reports list problems that must be fixed before the centre's marks can be submitted. Fix them by amending the candidate (see section 5), then run the report again.

CA Validation Report

1. Click CA Validation Report.
2. Choose the exam session and click Search.

The page lists each repeat candidate whose previous CA record cannot be found, with the subject, candidate number, previous candidate number and the problem. A red message reminds you that the system will not allow submission with incorrect CA details.

CALA Validation Report

1. Click CALA Validation Report.
2. Choose the session and click Run Validation.

The report shows how many candidates have issues and how many records were checked. Each row gives the candidate, subject, previous ID, previous name and a description such as Candidate Details not found or Details mismatch. Click Export to Excel to share the list with your staff.

9. Marksheets

Download a marksheet

1. Open Marksheets → Download Marksheet.
2. Choose the Exam Session.
3. In Subject, choose All Subjects or one specific subject.
4. Choose the Capturing Role.
5. Click Download (the button reads Download All Subjects when All Subjects is selected). If you chose All Subjects, confirm the message that appears.

The role can be Mark Capturer, Mark Verifier or Both, which puts a capturer sheet and a verifier sheet for each subject in the download.

What you receive depends on your choices: one subject with one role downloads a single Excel file. All Subjects, or Both, downloads a ZIP file containing one Excel file per subject and role. Extract the ZIP before uploading, because ZIP files cannot be uploaded.

Upload marksheets

1. Open Marksheets → Upload Marksheets.
2. Click Choose files and select one or more completed .xlsx templates. To select several, hold Ctrl (or Shift) while clicking, or select them all in the folder.
3. Click Upload. Use Cancel to leave without uploading.
4. Review the page that appears. Each file has its own card showing the session, subject, role and counts of candidates, marks, withdrawn (A), repeat, CA mismatch (X) and blank. A card is marked Ready, Blank marks or Rejected.
5. If a file has candidates marked A, its card lists them. Type a Reason for withdrawal (at least 5 characters) for each one, and tick I understand the implications and confirm that the candidate(s) above have withdrawn.
6. If a Ready file already has marks saved for that role, you can tick Overwrite existing marks for that file.
7. Click Confirm & Save to save all Ready files at once.
8. Read the result page. Every file has its own report: Uploaded or Failed, with the number of rows processed, inserted, updated and skipped, and the reason for any skipped row or failure.

Mark Correction

Open Marksheets → Mark Correction, choose the session and subject and click Search. The page, titled Fix Mismatched Marks, lists marks where the capturer and verifier entries disagree so that you can settle them.

10. Marks Capturing Statistics

These reports show how far capturing has got and where it is stuck. For each one, choose the session (and a subject where asked) and click Search.

11. Marks Approval

Approving tells ZIMSEC that the centre's CA marks are final. Only the centre head can do it.

1. Open Marks Capturing Statistics → Marks Approval.
2. Choose the session and click View.
3. Check the totals: Total, Completed, Mismatches, Withdrawn, Repeat, Unresolved repeats, Partial and Missing, with the overall progress bar and a line for every subject. Use View Mismatches to see mismatched marks and Download to keep a copy.
4. When everything is complete, click Approve for Submission.

12. Messages and help

For anything else, use Contact Us or Send Feedback in the menu on the public pages, or contact your Regional Office.

1. Before you start

This manual is for the Mark Capturer role. Your centre head creates your account and gives you a username and password. As a capturer you enter the continuous assessment (CA) marks for the subjects your centre offers. Your centre head approves the marks for submission, so you cannot approve them yourself.

2. Signing in

1. Open the CA Marks Capturing website and click Login at the top right.
2. Type your username and password.
3. Click Log in. Your dashboard opens.

If you forget your password, ask your centre head to reset it for you. The Login page says the same: "For capturers, contact your centre admin."

3. Your dashboard

The dashboard shows your own work for the year. Along the top are small counters:

Below them, a table lists each session with your entries, mismatches, and how many are completed, partial or missing, followed by three charts. Click Go To Capture Marks to start capturing.

4. The menu

The blue bar at the top is on every page. It has three places to go, a link to this Manual, and your username with a Logout button on the right. Below it, a dark blue Important Notice gives the CA marks capturing closing date for each level. A level whose window has ended is labelled Closed; capture your marks before then.

5. Capturing marks

1. Click CA Marks Capturing → Capturer Mark Entry.
2. Choose the Exam Session, then the Subject. The subject list fills in after you pick the session, and shows only subjects your centre sits.
3. Click Search. The candidates for that subject appear, with their centre, candidate number and name.
4. Type each candidate's mark in the Mark (%) box. Use the number the candidate scored as a percentage.
5. Click Save. There is a Save button above the list and another below it. If the list has more than one page, use Prev and Next at the top or bottom to move between pages.

The Repeat column shows repeat information for candidates who are repeating. It is not a box you type in.

Repeat candidates

Some candidates are repeating a subject. Their previous CA mark is carried over from the earlier sitting, so you do not capture it again. On the marksheet they look different from the other rows:

• The row is shaded blue.
• The Mark (%) column shows the previous mark in bold, as plain text. There is no box to type in.
• There is no Withdrawn box.
• A REPEAT badge appears in the Repeat column. Hover over it to see the previous candidate number.

If the system cannot match a repeat candidate to the earlier record, the row turns red, the mark shows a dash (—) and the badge is red with the reason underneath.

6. Withdrawn candidates

If a candidate has withdrawn from the examination, tick the Withdrawn box on their row instead of entering a mark. A message asks you to confirm. It explains that the candidate has withdrawn and will not be graded for this subject, that no marks will be processed for the other subject components, and that this cannot be reversed once CA marks are approved.

1. Tick Withdrawn beside the candidate.
2. Type the Reason for withdrawal.
3. Click I understand the implications and confirm that the candidate has withdrawn., or Cancel if you ticked it by mistake.

7. Fixing mistakes

Capturer Mark Correction

Open CA Marks Capturing → Capturer Mark Correction. The page, headed Fix Mark Entry Mismatches, works like the capture page: choose the session and subject and click Search. It lists the candidates where your entry and the verifier's entry disagree, so you can check the mark sheet and correct yours.

Capturer Partially Captured List

Open CA Marks Capturing → Capturer Partially Captured List. The page, headed Fix Partially Captured Marks, lists candidates whose marks were only partly captured, so you can complete them. Choose the session and subject and click Search.

8. CA Validation Report

Click CA Validation Report, choose the exam session and click Search. The page lists repeat candidates whose previous CA record cannot be found, with the subject, candidate number, previous candidate number and the problem. A red message tells you that these errors must be amended before marks are submitted.

9. Data Capturing Statistics

These reports show how far capturing has got for the centre. For each one, choose the session (and a subject where asked) and click Search.

The Input Summary Progress Report shows the centre's totals (total, completed, mismatches, withdrawn, repeat, unresolved repeats, partial and missing), your own My Pending count, and a progress bar for each subject. Use the Filter box to find a subject quickly.

10. Messages and help

For anything else, speak to your centre head, who can contact the Regional Office.