By Thousands of A-levels downgraded after Covid-19 stops exams
Almost 40% of A-level results have been downgraded in England after exams were cancelled due to coronavirus.
Some 35.6% of marks were adjusted down by one grade, 3.3% were brought down by two, and 0.2% came down by three, according to figures out today (Thursday).
Overall, an estimated 280,000 entries have been affected by the process.
But the overall results, across England, Northern Ireland and Wales, show record highs for A* and A grades.
Controversy has surrounded how results have been decided after the Joint Council for Qualifications “standardised” schools’ predictions based on their past performance to try and maintain consistency in a year thrown into chaos by the pandemic.
Teachers were told to submit the grades they thought each student would have received if they had sat the papers, alongside a rank order of students, after exams were cancelled.
There will be scrutiny of whether this process has particularly disadvantaged poorer students – a problem that caused protests and a U-turn in Scotland.
England’s Education Secretary Gavin Williamson told BBC Breakfast this morning (Thursday) that he would refuse to follow Scotland’s lead in allowing students whose results were downgraded to be awarded the grades predicted by their teachers.
He said that would be “unfair to so many students”, including the classes of 2019 and 2021.
He admitted there would be some students getting grades “that aren’t reflective of the work they’ve put in” but there would be a “robust appeals process”.
Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, said “something has obviously gone horribly wrong”.
He added: “The government needs to rethink this, they shouldn’t rule anything out, including the approach that was forced on the Scottish government.”
The number of students accepted on to degree courses has arisen by 2.9% compared with last year.
