ASCL Cymru responds to decision on GCSEs, AS and A levels in 2021

Commenting on the arrangements for GCSEs, AS and A levels in Wales in 2021, Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, said:

“We wholeheartedly support the decision of the Minister for Education to scrap end-of-year exams and focus on ensuring the maximum fairness for students amidst the disruption of the Covid pandemic.

“This is the right decision for our young people.

“It recognises the fact that they will have been affected to differing extents by the impact of the pandemic and it allows for as much teaching time as possible to catch-up with lost learning.

“We are confident that the planned approach is robust and that it will avoid the pitfalls that occurred in the grading of this summer’s qualifications.

“Parents can be reassured also by the steps the Welsh government has taken to ensure this approach will not disadvantage students in Wales in comparison to those in the other UK nations.”