One factor preventing the wider acceptance of school-based curriculum development and assessment, is the problem of comparing performances of different students, in different schools, in the same and different areas of study. This research looked at the implications of using a reference test as the moderator, in the Canterbury-Westland Scheme for the internal assessment of Mathematics. Whilst the study was restricted to one single sex boys school, in a middle class area, the Reference Tests for years 1986 and 1987 were significantly correlated with:

1. the final fifth form rankings for the same year
2. the final sixth form rankings for the following year
3. the Bursary statistics results three years later. The results of the study supported the moderation procedures used and indicated that the students in the scheme were not advantaged or disadvantaged by being internally assessed, rather than sitting the external examination.