Commenting on the recommendations from Qualification Wales over
next summer’s GCSEs, AS and A levels in Wales, Eithne Hughes,
Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL)
Cymru, said:
“We agree that exams cannot go ahead as normal in Wales next
year, because it is clearly the case that there cannot be a level
playing field with students disrupted by the impact of Covid to
widely varying extents.
“However, we are concerned that Qualifications Wales has
over-egged the pudding in terms of the sheer amount of assessment
it is proposing instead of exams for GCSEs and AS levels, and in
addition to them for A levels.
“If the Welsh government accepts these proposals, students will
be doing little else other than assessment between now and next
summer, when what they most need is space in the timetable for
teaching.
“There is an alternative proposal from an independent review
commissioned by the Welsh government to scrap exams entirely next
year and award grades on the basis of moderated assessment.
“This needs to be carefully considered alongside the proposals
from Qualifications Wales to achieve a solution that ensures
assessment is proportionate and fair to all students in these
extremely challenging circumstances.”
Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of
School and College Leaders, said:
“The recommendations in Wales throw the spotlight on plans in
England where the government has so far said that exams will go
ahead next summer.
“We have repeatedly warned that these plans don’t go far enough
to recognise the disruption to students.
“It is now clear that the scale of ongoing disruption caused by
Covid is so severe that the idea of a full exam series in England
must be in jeopardy.
“It is imperative that the government in Westminster sets out as
soon as possible how it intends to ensure that grades are awarded
fairly next year in these circumstances.
“Schools and students need to know whether there will be any form
of alternative assessment and what this will look like, and the
content of any timetabled exams has to take into account the fact
that students will have been affected to widely varying extents.”
