appeals | Schools Week

A-level appeals: Heads fear pupils will miss university start dates

Students awaiting the outcome of appeals against their A-level grades or to take autumn exams could miss the start of their first term at university, heads have warned. Schools are now considering the next steps to take on behalf of pupils following widespread disappointment at exam results yesterday. If the appeal takes as long as […]

Exams 2020: Ofqual to provide guidance on “valid mock grades”

Ofqual has announced it will publish guidance on how schools can use “valid mock grades” to appeal A-levels and GCSE results next week. The Department for Education confirmed late last night that some pupils will be offered the option to use grades given in mock exams instead of their standardised A-level and GCSE grades. The […]

Exams 2020: Heads question mock exam ‘curveball’

The government’s last-minute decision to give some pupils the chance to use mock exam grades instead of their calculated results has placed schools on the back foot and exacerbated anxiety among pupils, according to headteachers. The Department for Education announced last night – less than 48 hours before A-level results day – that some pupils […]

‘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 […]

Exams 2020: Ofqual confirms final appeals process for GCSEs and A-levels

Schools will be able to appeal against GCSE and A-level results if they feel data used to standardise grades was not a “reliable basis” for predicting 2020 results, Ofqual has confirmed. The exams regulator has set out the full arrangements for appeals this year, confirming that schools will be able to appeal if they were […]

Labour seeks assurances over GCSE and A-level results amid claims of unfairness in Scotland

Labour is seeking “urgent assurances” from the government that the GCSE and A-level results process in England will treat pupils fairly, amid claims poorer pupils in Scotland were penalised under a similar system. Kate Green, the shadow education secretary, has written to her opposite number Gavin Williamson for reassurances that he “will not allow similar […]