Freddie Whittaker | Schools Week

A-level results 2020: Chemistry

Here are the trends in chemistry A-level for 2020. The proportion of A* grades rose by 1 percentage point this year, as did the proportion of A grades. There were also slight rises in the proportion of B and C grades.

A-level results 2020: English literature

Here are the trends in English literature A-level for 2020. The data shows small rises across grades A* to C, but all are less than a percentage point.

A-level results 2020: Top grades up by 2.4 percentage points, but 39.1 of grades downgraded

The proportion of top A-level grades handed to students in England has increased by 2.4 per cent this year. But headteachers have already warned of volatility among results at school and student level, after it was revealed that 39.1 per cent of centre-assessment grades were downgraded during the standardisation process. The exams regulator Ofqual has […]

A-level results 2020: ‘Enough is enough’ says heads’ union as it demands government review

The government must urgently review the system used to award A-level grades to pupils this year, the Association of School and College Leaders has said. ASCL general secretary Geoff Barton said his organisation had received “heartbreaking feedback” from school leaders, who had seen grades pulled down “in a way that they feel to be utterly […]

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 […]

The government must address ‘inexplicable variations’ in sixth form colleges’ A-level results

Sixth form colleges are reporting that their A-level results do not reflect the grades they provided, or three year trends. Here, Sixth Form Colleges Association chief executive Bill Watkin explains why government action is needed. There is a huge discrepancy between the teacher-led centre-assessment grades (CAGs) and the exam board algorithm-led calculated grades. Just 4 […]

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 […]