Some 250,000 students are due to receive their A-Level grades today, which have been computer-regulated due to the cancellation of summer exams during the coronavirus pandemic. A press conference will be held this morning to reassure pupils and Ofqual has agreed to attend – despite pulling out of the briefing earlier this morning.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has been quizzed on this morning, and was asked why England’s exams regulator was not in a position to tell students on results day whether they would have the opportunity to appeal their grades.
He said: “The reason Ofqual hadn’t got it ready for today is because it’s obviously a decision that was made sort of later on in the process, and that they are working to make sure that information is shared with schools and colleges over the next few days.”
But since Mr Williamson spoke this morning, Ofqual embarked on a sharp u-turn and have agreed to particpate in the press briefing.
Yesterday the Education Secretary sought to reassure pupils there was a “triple lock” in place to ensure their grades are credible and fair.
He revealed that students in England will have the “safety net” of being able to use mock exam results as the basis for an appeal if they are higher than the calculated grade.
But teachers and university leaders have said the last-minute change is still marred with confusion.
They have demanded the Government clarifies how the appeals process in England will work and whether it will be completed in time for universities opening in the autumn.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said teachers are likely to face questions from “disgruntled” students over appeals on Thursday which they will struggle to answer due to the last-minute announcement and lack of detail about how the process will work.
The Ucas deadline for applicants to meet their academic offer conditions is September 7, which leaves exam boards less than four weeks to issue outcomes of appeals from schools and colleges.
Some universities are concerned that students may not be given enough time to secure a final grade ahead of the start of term in autumn.
It came hours after Scotland’s Education Secretary announced that moderated calculated grades would be scrapped following an outcry after more than 124,000 results were downgraded.
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) amended 133,000 entries based on each school’s past performance, which was heavily criticised as it failed to take into account the individual student.
Only seven percent of grades were adjusted upwards.
After a week of uproar the Scottish government told the SQA to reinstate all the downgraded results to those originally recommended by their teachers.
More to follow…
