By Elishya Perera
LONDON (CU)_GCSEs and A-levels cancelled in England on account of the pandemic will be replaced by grades decided by teachers, the Education Secretary announced on Thursday (Feb 25). Accordingly, the students’ grades will be determined by using questions provided by exam boards, or based on mock exams and coursework.
According to a statement issued by the Department of Education, results for these qualifications will be issued on 9 August, instead of 23 August, thereby providing additional time for appeals to be completed.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson noted that this approach will provide the students with “the fairest possible system”, by having their grades determined by “those who know them best – their teachers”.
“Young people have shown incredible resilience over the last year, continuing with their learning amidst unprecedented challenges while the country battles with this pandemic,” he said. “Those efforts deserve to be fairly rewarded.”
Meanwhile, Simon Lebus, Interim Chief Regulator of exams watchdog Ofqual, noted that since assessments on their own cannot serve as an instrument to recover lost learning, therefore the arrangements that are being put in place will only take into account what students have been taught, not what they have missed.
The Education Department said that schools, colleges and other educational settings, as well as exam boards will conduct multiple checks in order to ensure as much fairness as possible. These will include ensuring consistency of judgements and assurance that the correct processes were followed, in addition to random sampling and more targeted scrutiny where exam boards identify cause for concern.
“We know how difficult this past year has been for many students, parents, schools and colleges,” Lebus said.
“I am confident that these arrangements will allow all parts of the education and training sector to work together collectively to make sure students’ grades reflect what they have achieved and provide a sound basis to enable them to make good decisions about their future,” he added.
