GCSEs and A Levels are set to go ahead this year, although they will be graded more generously, Ofqual has announced.
In order to make up for missed teaching throughout the pandemic, exams will be graded ‘more generously’ to provide a safety net for students. ‘Advance information’ will also be provided to help students focus their revision, with this information being provided by exam boards for most subjects. In others, students will have a choice of topics or content.
The Ofqual announcement also stated that exam boards ‘will provide a formulae sheet and an updated equation sheet that students will have in their GCSE maths, physics and combined science exams.’
Less pressure
A Year 11 student from Bristol, who has chosen to remain anonymous, told Freshered that this announcement reduces pressure on students as their missed lesson time ‘has been equated for’ by the introduction of more generous marking.
They explained that they have been informed of the removal of content in exams from some subjects, but that for most ‘very little has been removed.’ They said that ‘similar amounts of content should be removed in all subjects, not just bits and bobs – or none at all – varying from subject to subject.’
The announcement about advanced information has received mixed feedback. Steve Chalke, the founder of charity Oasis UK, told the BBC it was ‘hard to say’ if this information would help students or teachers. He instead suggested that the UK should drop GCSE exams altogether.
Meanwhile, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi, said the advance information should help students ‘do themselves justice in their exams,’ and that exams are ‘the best and fairest form of assessment.’
Teachers learning too
National Association of Head Teachers’ senior policy adviser Sarah Hannafin said the introduction of advance material ‘is new to teachers’. Over the coming days we will learn whether this material will be sufficient to counter the ‘levels of disruption which students have faced due to Covid.’
However, Hannafin did explain that the advance material ‘should now provide teachers and students some help on where to focus their teaching, revision and exam preparations.’
Exams have been a controversial topic during the pandemic. In 2021 the gap between private schools and state schools was widened further due to the cancellation of exams. In August 2021, in England, 70% of A-level results were A* or A, compared with 39% for comprehensive pupils.
Students did not sit A Level examinations and instead grades were decided by teachers’ estimates, leading to an overwhelming grade inflation. According to the BBC, the proportion of students getting top grades at A Level has risen by almost 75% since the last time conventional in-person exams were taken in 2019.
According to Ofqual figures, in 2019 there was a 24 percentage point gap between independent schools and comprehensives in top grades at A-level. In 2021 it has risen to 31 percentage points, leading many to criticise the choice to leave grading to teachers rather than exams.
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