Opinion

After days of growing pressure, it was inevitable government and the beleaguered education secretary Gavin Williamson eventually u-turned and reverted to centre assessments rather than the now discredited algorithm. But the idea that all problems are solved couldn’t be further from the truth. Indeed the very students government belatedly acted to try and help, may […]

The A-level results last week followed a precedent set by the Scottish Advanced Highers and revealed there is just not an easy way to award grades for hundreds of thousands of students who, through no fault of their own, could not sit the examinations. It has been an extraordinarily difficult year for our A level […]

After days of uncertainty, we’ve learnt the government’s pathway out of their exam fiasco. In debates about appeals, admissions and teacher assessments, one thing is clear – lessons must be learnt and Gavin Williamson must go, says Jane Cahill The government has accepted that centre assessment grades are the only solution out of the exam […]

As the fiasco surrounding A-level results continues, Paul Whiteman says the increasingly political Punch and Judy show has served to mitigate against finding the right solution. Just when we thought the situation could not get worse, further confusion and uncertainty has been created by the publishing and then withdrawal of Ofqual guidance on appeals. It […]

Coupled with the impacts of COVID-19 itself, this year’s exam results mean Oxbridge entry is harder than ever. Paarul Shah looks at the challenges and how schools can support their students to make the transition This year’s exams arrangements pose unique problems for Oxbridge applicants, both successful and unsuccessful. What’s more, applicants for quantitative STEM […]

For all the apologies, Mary Bousted says there is little sign government is willing or able to learn the lessons of how it got into this mess, with likely repercussions for next year’s final-year students Today should have been a day of celebration for students as they received their A level grades. It doesn’t feel […]

Failure to deal with predictable problems early on has only created more pressure for students, schools and Ofqual, writes Natalie Perera The process for awarding A Level and GCSE results this year has been fraught from the outset and made even worse by poor and ill-thought through communication from government. It is difficult, amongst this […]

Only transparency about how calculated grades were arrived at can begin to fix the entirely avoidable unfairness of today’s A level results, writes David Holtham We all know we are operating in unprecedented times and have to accept undesirable outcomes, but today’s A level results fiasco is different. Unlike pupils missing months of education and […]

This year’s A level results are of equal value to results gained in any other year but we must learn from the turmoil students have faced, writes Sarah Hannafin In an unprecedented year, the revised system for awarding grades for A levels seems to have held up to the intense stress placed upon it. However, we […]