Students could accept their calculated grade, appeal to
receive a valid mock result, or sit autumn exams to
ensure the achievements of young people are recognised.
Ofqual has been asked to determine how and when valid
mock results can be used to calculate grades.
All outcomes will hold the same value for universities,
colleges and employers, building on the significant
number of students who will still progress as a result
of their calculated grades. Similar arrangements will
apply to vocational and technical qualifications.
The move comes as the Government also announces an
extensive support package for all schools, colleges and
further education providers to run a full exam series
in the autumn.
Education Secretary
said:
Every young person waiting for their results wants to
know they have been treated fairly. By ensuring
students have the safety net of their mock results,
as well as the chance of sitting autumn exams, we are
creating a triple lock process to ensure confidence
and fairness in the system.
No one wanted to cancel exams – they are the best
form of assessment, but the disruption caused by
Covid-19 meant they were not possible.
This triple lock system will help provide reassurance
to students and ensure they are able to progress with
the next stage of their lives.
This will provide an additional safety net to the
system of calculated grades, which is the fairest
possible approach in the absence of exams. The grades
students receive on Thursday will be based on the
judgement of their school or college, and have been
moderated by exam boards to make sure the same standard
is applied for all students, whichever school, college
or part of the country they come from.
Students who would like to use a valid mock result will
be able to do so through the appeals process, with
individuals notifying their school or college who will
provide evidence of their mock results to their exam
board.
As set out by Ofqual last week, schools and colleges
will also be able to appeal if they believe their
historic data does not reflect the ability of their
current students – that may be because they have
experienced a recent change in leadership or because
they have one or a number of exceptional students.
For those wishing to try and improve their grades by
taking exams in the autumn, the support package will
help schools with the costs associated with running
these exams including booking venues, sourcing
invigilators, and meeting the cost of autumn exam fees
if they exceed summer fee rebates.
Where it is not possible to run exams on their own
premises without disrupting study, schools and colleges
will either be able to book sites through the
Department for Education at no cost, or arrange sites
themselves and claim back those costs.
Schools and colleges will be able to use the
Government’s specialist staffing and events agencies to
book invigilators and sites from September as well as
being able to claim back costs later in the autumn
term.
While £30 million is being earmarked to deliver this
support, funding will be demand-led and driven by the
number of students who choose to sit exams.
