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21 April 2026

Author: Freddie Whittaker

A-level results 2020: 8 key trends in England’s data

A-level results are out! Here’s what we know… 1. Overall performance in England* The proportion of A* and A grades has risen this year by 2.4 percentage points to 27.6 per cent, the highest level in at least 13 years. The proportion of A* grades also rose, from 7.7 per cent last year to 8.9 per cent. […]

Williamson apologises to pupils ahead of A-level results day

The education secretary has apologised to “every single child right across this country” for the disruption they have suffered during the coronavirus pandemic, as schools brace for a chaotic A-level results day tomorrow. In an interview with the BBC, Gavin Williamson said he was “deeply sorry” that the government had had to take actions including […]

Sixth form colleges cry foul over standardisation as principals report problems with A-level results

The body representing sixth form colleges has demanded action after the vast majority of principals reported lower-than-expected A-level grades following this year’s moderation process. The Sixth Form Colleges Association fears its members have been disproportionately impacted by problems with the system which replaced exams this year, with almost half of principals reporting that overall, their […]

Exams 2020: 40% of A-level grades ‘adjusted’, minister reveals

Forty per cent of A-level grades provided by schools have been “adjusted” during the standardisation process, Nick Gibb has revealed. The schools minister told the Today programme this morning that “the majority of students tomorrow will get the grade submitted by the teacher, and of those 40 per cent of grades that are adjusted, it’ll […]

Exams 2020: Schools WILL face charges for unsuccessful appeals

Fees for unsuccessful appeals against GCSE and A-level grades will not be waived this summer, exam boards have confirmed. With schools braced for a huge spike in demand for appeals from students grappling with the new system of standardised centre-assessment grades, leaders had called for appeal fees to be waived to create a “level playing […]

‘We apologise to nobody’ – Gibb defends ‘eleventh-hour’ mocks change

The government will “apologise to nobody” for its last-minute change to the exams system which will offer some pupils the option to use “valid mock grades” instead of standardised results, the schools minister has said. Nick Gibb was defiant when he appeared on BBC Breakfast this morning to defend the change, which was announced late […]

DfE sets out plans to allow disappointed exam students to use ‘valid mock grades’

Pupils will be given the choice of receiving a “valid mock grade” instead of their standardised centre-assessment grade under new plans for GCSE and A-level results announced by the Department for Education. The government has finally confirmed its plans after the proposal to use mock exam grades was briefed out to some newspapers earlier tonight, […]

Unhappy exam students can use mock exam results – reports

Pupils in England will be allowed to use “mock exam results” if they are unhappy with the grades they are issued this year, according to reports. Several newspapers reported tonight that ministers have agreed to allow pupils to keep grades given for mock exams – if they are higher than the standardised grades they receive […]