- Over 10,000 students will receive their AS and A level autumn
exam results today
- Almost half of A level grades were improved compared to
summer
- Education Secretary thanks teachers for their efforts in
making sure the autumn series was safe for all
Education Secretary has
congratulated students receiving their AS and A level results
following this year’s autumn series.
More than 10,000 students will get their results today (17
December) after sitting exams between 5 and 23 October.
Statistics published today show that, of the students that also
have a grade from the summer, almost half improved their A level
grade and just under 40% improved their AS grade. Around 30% of
entries at A level were graded A or A*.
A proportion of A level entries - around 16% - were from students
who did not have a summer grade in the same subject.
Due to the small number of entries – with the number of grades
awarded at around 2% of what would be expected in the summer –
results and grade boundaries cannot be compared with previous or
future exams series.
Education Secretary
said:
“Students getting their results today should feel incredibly
proud of what they have achieved. The grades they receive today,
just like the ones received by so many in the summer, can be
their passport to the next stage of their lives.
“Fairness for students has always been and continues to be my
priority, which is why we made sure young people could sit an
exam this autumn and why we have set out such an exceptional set
of measures for students sitting exams next year.
“Teachers and school and college leaders across the country
worked hard to make this extraordinary exam series possible, and
I want to thank them for their continued dedication in keeping
students and staff safe.”
The majority of students will have received a grade in August
that allowed them to move onto the next stage of their education
or career.
England was unique among the UK nations with the government
committing to running an exceptional exam series to ensure
fairness for students who wanted to sit an exam this year, or
were unable to receive a grade in the summer because, for
example, they were private candidates.
The autumn series demonstrated that exams can be held, even in
areas of local restriction. School leaders and staff worked
extremely hard to ensure exams and assessments were safe for both
students and invigilators.
Ahead of exams next year, the government has already set out a
package of exceptional measures to make them as fair as possible
and manage the disruption caused by Covid-19.
This includes more generous grading, advance notice of some topic
areas covered in GCSEs, AS and A levels to focus revision and
exam aids provided in some exams to reduce the amount of
information students need to memorise.
