Farcical exercise in statistics has put our futures at stake

DID Education Minister Peter Weir and Justin Edwards, who heads up the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), study their model like I studied the A-level syllabus, often into the small hours every single evening?

Did Peter Weir and Justin Edwards consider what they would feel if it was their children receiving results at 8am on Thursday morning?

Did they even stop to think about the potential impact this model might have on the future of young people in Northern Ireland?

We have lots of questions, but it appears the CCEA and Mr Weir are picking and choosing very carefully which ones to answer.

Following the uproar as a result of the results fiasco in Scotland, students were awarded the grades their teachers had predicted.

Mr Weir claims replacing exam results with teacher predictions would “lack credibility”.

To date, Mr Weir and Mr Edwards have shown a clear lack of credibility, not the teachers who have worked tirelessly to ensure that pupils received fair grades.

Why should it be a different set of rules for the fiasco here?

It is important to note that the percentage of students downgraded in Northern Ireland is markedly higher than it was in Scotland.

My teachers know what I am capable of, they know my strengths, they know my weaknesses, and they know the grades that I deserve.

After expecting A*A*A* and working towards that for the past two years, for CCEA to downgrade to A A A is frankly disgraceful.

I know and have spoken to a lot of young people that have been let down a lot more than me, and it is devastating. Dreams have been shattered, places at top universities have been scrapped and young people have fallen victim to this complete farce of a model that Mr Weir and Mr Edwards have been dodging questions on since Thursday.

I should not be a victim of historical data. I should not be downgraded because I chose integrated education rather than a grammar school.

Our school prides itself on every pupil achieving their personal best.

Does your model take this into consideration?

I deserve to be treated as an individual. The modelling that has been used must be open to question and scrutiny, because it does not seem to reflect the actual student.

It is more of an exercise in statistics; far too much about the modelling is hidden and too many young people have been let down.

Had a fire alarm gone off during our exams we’d all have been awarded our predicted grades.

We’re going through a global pandemic, which is much more distressing, and thousands of young people have suffered because of this mess, fuelled by the decisions taken by Mr Edwards and Mr Weir.

I have 100% trust in my teachers. Why don’t you?

Your model should be withdrawn, just like thousands of Ucas offers were withdrawn yesterday.

Justin Edwards and Peter Weir, you have failed so many of us and robbed us of the grades we deserved.

I hope you both take a long, hard look at yourselves and perhaps just stop to think about this absolute shambles you have created and all those dreams you have shattered in the process.

Think about it as if we were your children and it was their futures at stake.