· More than 200,000 students will collect AS and A level results
tomorrow
· More than 340,000 vocational and technical qualifications
awarded to students
· Education Secretary praises students on resilience and
achievements during a challenging year
Students have been praised by the Education Secretary for their
resilience and hard work as hundreds of thousands prepare to
collect A level results tomorrow (10 August), enabling them to
progress to their next stage of their education or working life.
While exams remain the fairest and best form of assessment,
recognising the unprecedented disruption the pandemic has caused
to education, the Government and Ofqual decided it would not be
fair for exams to go ahead this year.
Grades instead have been determined by those who know students
best – their teachers.
Students were assessed only on what they had been taught and were
assessed on multiple pieces of work, giving them their best
possible chance to show what they can do.
There was also a quality assurance process in place, with all
grades being checked by schools – and one in five schools having
a sample of their grades checked by exam boards – helping to give
students, parents, colleges, universities and employers
confidence in grades.
Education Secretary
said:
“Students have worked very hard in what has been an extraordinary
and challenging year, and each and every one of them should feel
incredibly proud of their achievements. We should all celebrate
their resilience and ability to overcome adversity.
“Teachers and staff have ensured that, despite the disruption
caused by the pandemic, all students are able to get grades this
year and so can take their next steps and make their choices
about further study or entering the workplace.
“I am hugely grateful to teachers and also parents for supporting
our young people in progressing to the next stage in their lives
with confidence."
Universities Minister said:
“Results day is the culmination of years of schooling and
dedication and I want to congratulate students, teachers and
parents on all their hard work.
“Despite the challenges of the last 18 months, students will
today receive a qualification that carries weight and acts as a
passport to wherever they want to go, whether that be to
university, or into further education and apprenticeships.”
Students were able to be assessed on a range of evidence,
including in-class tests, mock papers, optional questions
provided by exam boards and coursework – giving them the fairest
and greatest opportunity to show their knowledge and abilities.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of
NAHT, said:
“All students receiving their results this week deserve our
congratulations. This is the culmination of a huge amount of work
in the most challenging of circumstances. Students have shown
great resilience and determination this year. For each individual
student, their grades are a passport to the next phase of their
education, training or employment.
“Students, parents, education providers and employers have every
reason to be confident in this year’s results, even though there
have been no exams. This year’s grades are based on students’
actual work, assessed by their teachers, moderated and quality
assured. There are no algorithms this year, just human effort and
human expert judgement.”
Education is a devolved matter for England, Wales, Scotland and
Northern Ireland, however all four nations adopted a system of
awarding grades this summer based on teacher based assessment.
While UCAS have predicted that we may see a record number of
students get their first-choice places, as in other years, where
students have not achieved the grades to take up a conditional
course offer, they should speak to their school or college,
university or prospective employer, to discuss their options.
The Exam Results Helpline is also available for those students
who want additional advice, andjust as they do in any normal
year, UCAS will help thousands of students to find places through
Clearing if they do not receive the grades they were hoping for.
The Government has also worked with the higher education sector
to ensure there are additional places on medicine and dentistry
courses where there is capacity, to help students progress to
their preferred choice. The measures bring the total of fully
funded medical and dentistry places to over 9,000 in universities
in England, alongside up to £10 million, to support courses which
are essential to building back better from the pandemic.
