The exam regulator, Ofqual, and exam boards will work with
teachers to provide grades to students whose exams have been
cancelled this summer, following our actions to slow the spread
of coronavirus.
University representatives have confirmed that they expect
universities to be flexible and do all they can to support
students and ensure they can progress to higher education.
This year’s summer exam series, including A levels, GCSEs and
other qualifications, and all primary assessments, have been
cancelled as we fight to stop the spread of coronavirus.
The Government’s priority is now to ensure affected students can
move on as planned to the next stage of their lives, including
going into employment, starting university, college or sixth form
courses, or an apprenticeship in the autumn.
This means ensuring GCSE, A and AS level students are awarded a
grade which fairly reflects the work that they have put in. There
will also be an option to sit an exam early in the next academic
year for students who wish to. Ofqual will develop and set out a
process that will provide a calculated grade to each student
which reflects their performance as fairly as possible, and will
work with the exam boards to ensure this is consistently applied
for all students. The exam boards will be asking teachers, who
know their students well, to submit their judgement about the
grade that they believe the student would have received if exams
had gone ahead.
To produce this, teachers will take into account a range of
evidence and data including performance on mock exams and
non-exam assessment – clear guidance on how to do this fairly and
robustly this will be provided to schools and colleges. The exam
boards will then combine this information with other relevant
data, including prior attainment, and use this information to
produce a calculated grade for each student, which will be a best
assessment of the work they have put in.
Ofqual and exam boards will be discussing with teachers’
representatives before finalising an approach, to ensure that it
is as fair as possible. More information will be provided as soon
as possible.
The aim is to provide these calculated grades to students before
the end of July. In terms of a permanent record, the grades will
be indistinguishable from those provided in other years. We will
also aim to ensure that the distribution of grades follows a
similar pattern to that in other years, so that this year’s
students do not face a systematic disadvantage as a consequence
of these extraordinary circumstances.
Education Secretary said:
Cancelling exams is something no Education Secretary would ever
want to do, however these are extraordinary times and this
measure is a vital but unprecedented step in the country’s
efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus.
My priority now is to ensure no young person faces a barrier
when it comes to moving onto the next stage of their lives –
whether that’s further or higher education, an apprenticeship
or a job.
I have asked exam boards to work closely with the teachers who
know their pupils best to ensure their hard work and dedication
is rewarded and fairly recognised.
We recognise that some students may nevertheless feel
disappointed that they haven’t been able to sit their exams. If
they do not believe the correct process has been followed in
their case they will be able to appeal on that basis. In
addition, if they do not feel their calculated grade reflects
their performance, they will have the opportunity to sit an exam
at the earliest reasonable opportunity, once schools are open
again. Students will also have the option to sit their exams in
summer 2021.
There is a very wide range of different vocational and technical
qualifications as well as other academic qualifications for which
students were expecting to sit exams this summer. These are
offered by a large number of awarding organisations, and have
differing assessment approaches – in many cases students will
already have completed modules or non-exam assessment which could
provide evidence to award a grade. We are encouraging these
organisations to show the maximum possible flexibility and
pragmatism to ensure students are not disadvantaged. Ofqual is
working urgently with the sector to explore options and we will
work with them to provide more details shortly.
The Government will not publish any school or college level
educational performance data based on tests, assessments or exams
for 2020.
