Victory for pupils after Weir U-turn
A-level results to rise by 10% as teachers decide grades
A-LEVEL results are expected to rise by 10% in the wake of Education Minister Peter Weir’s U-turn over how students were graded.
The DUP minister allowed teachers’ predicted grades to be used after strong political opposition to plans to use centralised standardisation.
But it prompted Queen’s University to question how extra places will be funded if many students are given improved A-level grades. The institution said it had “genuine capacity restrictions” in light of the pandemic and called for Stormont to provide clarity.
QUEEN’S University has asked how extra student places will be funded if substantial numbers are given improved A-level grades after a major U-turn by Education Minister Peter Weir.
In a statement last night, the university stressed that it had “genuine capacity restrictions” in terms of teaching space, staff and accommodation in light of Covid-19. It called for “clarity as a matter of urgency” from Stormont.
Mr Weir yesterday announced a major U-turn in the way AS and A-level grades are awarded in a move welcomed by teachers, parents and pupils across Northern Ireland.
The DUP minister made the climbdown in the face of opposition from every other political party at Stormont.
An emergency meeting of the Assembly this afternoon to discuss the grades fiasco will not now go ahead. The SDLP said it was pulling its motion in light of Mr Weir’s U-turn.
Teachers’ estimated grades will now be awarded to students unless the computer algorithm which produced a centralised score gave a higher one. Results are expected to rise by over 10%.
Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister Michelle O’neill welcomed the move and said the centralised standardisation was flawed from the start and should never have been used.
The Ulster Unionists said it was the fairest outcome but came “very late in the day”. The SDLP said it was “a win” for students but called on Mr Weir to publish the controversial algorithm which he indicated he would do.
Yesterday morning the minister announced that GCSES would be based solely on teacher predictions, but he failed to move on AS and A-levels.
An SDLP motion to recall the Assembly to discuss the matter was signed by Sinn Fein, UUP, Alliance, the Greens, People Before Profit, the TUV, and independent MLAS Jim Wells, Claire Sugden, and Trevor Lunn.
Teachers had been asked to give predicted grades, but then other data — including the past performances of students’ schools — was used by the exams body CCEA (Council for the Curriculum Examination and Assessment) to standardise the results.
Announcing his U-turn at 4pm yesterday, Mr Weir said: “My prime concern is to ensure that young people in Northern Ireland are in no way disadvantaged in comparison to their peers elsewhere.
“Portability and comparability of qualifications is critical for students, particularly in Northern Ireland.
“In the challenging situation in which we find ourselves, there are no perfect solutions. I hope today’s decision will provide a platform for [students] to go forward positively into higher education, employment or training.”
More than a third of A-level grades issued last Thursday were lower than teacher estimates.
The proportion of A* to A A-level grades rose by 2.3%.
In total, 37% were lowered while 5.3% were raised.
A-level and GCSE students in England and Wales will also be given estimates by their teachers.
Robert Wilson, Northern Ireland regional officer of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “We welcome the decision to put an end to the grading fiasco of using only standardised grades.”
NUS-USI students’ union president Ellen Fearon said the decision was a huge relief to students who have faced months of uncertainty already.
She added: “This victory belongs to students who would not accept their futures being decided by an unjust algorithm.”
UUP MLA Robbie Butler said: “This is a fair and just resolution so that students can make the decisions that best suit their future educational and career paths.
“I am glad that the Department of Education has now accepted that it is right to place trust in teachers to grade students’ A-level work.
“However, the question will be asked why did it have to be this way? This decision could have been made long before now.
“It’s very late in the day. Students have been put through immense stress. Given that mental health is the number one issue for young people this has only piled misery upon misery.”
Alliance MLA Chris Lyttle said: “While this news is welcome, we are not through the woods just yet.
“The Education Minister’s delay has risked many pupils missing their university place. We now need a prompt delivery of the new grades and support for those who need it to move on in their educational career.”
SDLP MLA Daniel Mccrossan said: “This is a win for our teachers and their professional judgement, but most importantly, a win for our young people.
“They fought tirelessly against the flawed standardisation process and for grades that accurately reflected their ability and their work ethic.”
Green Party education spokesperson, Councillor Simon Lee, said: “The Education Minister has made this U-turn as a result of pressure from teachers, parents and pupils. Credit to them for demanding an equitable resolution to this fiasco
“It’s been a fiasco that was entirely foreseeable since problems with standardisation began to emerge with the publication of results in Scotland.
“Many students have been through a horrible ordeal as Peter Weir wobbled his way through this matter.”