A-levels | Schools Week

Coronavirus: 6 key findings from the Sutton Trust’s research on university applications

More than two in five A-level pupils believe the assessment system in place this year will adversely affect their grades, while almost half believe the Covid-19 crisis will hit their chances of getting into their first-choice university. Social mobility charity The Sutton Trust polled pupils studying for their A-levels this year, and found many were […]

Coronavirus: DfE confirms August results days, abandoning ‘end of July’ deadline

GCSE and A-level results days will be in August this year, the government has announced, seemingly abandoning an aim to provide pupils with grades before the end of July. The Department for Education has today confirmed that pupils will receive A-level results on August 13 and GCSE results on August 20. These are the same […]

Coronavirus: Concerns as school pupils seek supermarket jobs

Pupils who believe they have already passed their GCSEs and A-levels and have been trying to get supermarket and “gig economy” jobs before the end of the school year, a prominent school leader has warned. Martyn Oliver, chief executive of the Outwood Grange Academies Trust, said participation in online learning among year 11s and year […]

Coronavirus: Schools will rank GCSE and A-level pupils within grades

Schools will rank their GCSE and A-level pupils within each grade under a new system of assessment drawn up for this summer. Following the announcement that all exams this academic year have been cancelled due to the coronavirus, Ofqual has released details of the standardised assessment process that will take their place. Guidance released by […]

Coronavirus: An explainer on how grades will be awarded this summer

Ofqual has revealed how pupils will be assessed for GCSE and A-level qualifications this summer, following the cancellation of exams. The exams regulator has published guidance for schools, along with separate guidance for teachers and a letter to pupils. Here’s our explainer on how it will all work… 1. Schools must provide a grade […]

Coronavirus: Don’t seek further work to support GCSE and A-level grades, union tells leaders

Teachers and leaders “should not be seeking further work” from pupils to support their GCSE and A-level grades this year, the ASCL leadership union has said. In guidance issued to headteachers, which seeks to pre-empt an expected government announcement on plans for assessments this year, the union said priorities for pupils in years 11 and […]

Coronavirus: GCSEs and A-levels will be based on ‘moderated assessment’, says CST leader

GCSEs and A-levels grades will be awarded “on the basis of moderated assessment” this year following the cancellation of summer exams, a sector leader familiar with the government’s plans has told headteachers. Leora Cruddas, the chief executive of the Confederation of School Trusts, told members of her organisation in an email last night that she […]

Ofqual consults on new ‘clearer’ malpractice and maladministration guidance

The exams regulator Ofqual wants to replace its current guidance on how exam boards should tackle malpractice and maladministration, amid fears it is currently too simplistic. Current guidance is made up of a list of “dos and don’ts” to help exam boards meet “condition A8” – one of eight “general conditions of recognition” they must […]

Why reinvent the education wheel, when a solution already exists?

It’s great that we’re talking about alternatives to GCSEs and A-Levels, but we don’t need to start from scratch – there’s already a qualification out there, says Ryan Kelsall Robert Halfon this week advocated the scrapping of GCSEs and A-Levels in favour of a broader baccalaureate-style education, with a mix of academic and vocational subjects, and […]