Ofqual has today published two reports evaluating summer 2020
qualification results by student group. Our research suggests
that students were not systemically disadvantaged in 2020 on the
basis of their protected characteristics or socioeconomic status.
We compared this year’s students with those taking qualifications
in summer 2018 and 2019.
For GCSE and A level, our research compares
2020 A level and GCSE outcomes - centre-assessment grades (CAGs),
calculated grades and final grades - with results from 2018 and
2019. We broke down results by students’ gender, ethnicity, first
language, SEND status, free school meals eligibility and
socioeconomic status.
Our evaluation found that had calculated grades been awarded
(rather than the final grades awarded), the results would have
been more closely in line with the established relationships
between student characteristics and outcomes that we see in
previous exam results. The changes seen by using final grades are
small, however, and do not suggest that any groups of candidates
who share particular protected characteristics or socioeconomic
status were systemically disadvantaged.
At both GCSE and A level, the most consistent and significant
effect was an uplift in outcomes for all groups using CAGs and
final grades, but not using calculated grades.
At A level, the attainment gap that had previously seen male
candidates outperform female candidates (when other variables are
accounted for) narrowed further, having previously narrowed
between 2018 and 2019. This suggests the change in the gender
attainment gap is a continuation of a trend. This was true for
CAGs, calculated grades and final grades.
We have also published an analysis of grades
awarded for a number of vocational and technical
qualifications (VTQs) in spring and summer 2020. This research
shows that grades awarded to those who sat those VTQs earlier
this year were not substantially different to grades from
previous years, despite the impact of COVID-19. There was,
however, for certain types of qualifications, an increase in the
number of top grades being awarded.
For the VTQ report, Ofqual researchers collected data from 33
awarding organisations on all learners who were awarded a grade
for a Functional Skills, Other General, or Performance Table
Qualification between mid-March and the end of July.
Attainment gaps between different demographic groups did not
change or increase in most cases. These analyses do not suggest
that any groups of candidates who share particular protected
characteristics or socioeconomic status were systemically
disadvantaged by the impact of the pandemic and the approach to
awarding in 2020.
The overall profile of results for this group of qualifications
was broadly in line with normal expectations. Ofqual will
continue to monitor VTQ results in the months to come.
We recently updated our VTQ landscape tool
which shows VTQs available in England and regulated by Ofqual.
