GCSE and A-level pupils will receive grades based on ‘completed work’
STUDENTS who would have taken GCSEs and A-levels in Wales this summer will receive
“fair” grades based on the work they have already completed, the country’s education minister has said.
Thousands of teenagers would have been sitting exams across Wales, but they have been cancelled following the decision to close schools immediately due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Education minister Kirsty Williams said 16 and 18-year-olds would still receive their grades in August as normal but would not be taking those exams.
Speaking during a
Q&A with students, Ms Williams said: “You will be receiving your GCSE results no later than you would have under normal circumstances.
“It’s really important that no students who were taking their GCSEs this year are disadvantaged.That’s why we are all working really hard to ensure you get a fair grade for all the hard work you have put in over a number of years.”
Ms Williams also confirmed that students who are taking BTEC or Welsh baccalaureate qualifications would also receive grades. Among the questions the minister faced from schoolchildren were from teenagers who would have been sitting AS-levels and are concerned how that will affect their future A2 exams.
“I know a lot of you are concerned about the issue of AS-levels,” she said. “GCSE qualifications and A2 qualifications are really important because they are progression steps into the next phase of education or work.
“We need to make sure that those children have the opportunity to gain a grade because perhaps many of them were expecting to leave formal education this year.
“One of the ways we are going to apply that grade is through previously assessed material.
“For AS students we simply do not have that information and we are looking at what alternatives could be put in place for both Year 10 students and those students doing AS-levels.”
One primary age pupil asked Ms Williams how they will learn at home now the schools are closed.
“There will still be work to do and what will be really important is listening to your teachers in a different way,” she said.
“They may be sending your work home or sending you work digitally but it’s really important we try and keep on learning as best we can.
“Of course, even if we haven’t got formal work to do, there is nothing better than picking up a good book and reading.”
While details are still being confirmed, Qualifications Wales has released the first details of grading plans and promised to continue issuing updates.
The regulator said: “We are working with WJEC to establish the fairest way to issue grades for GCSE, A-level and Skills Challenge Certificate qualifications”.
It is not yet known if students in Wales will be offered the option to sit their exams in September, if they prefer, which the department for education is planning.
How exam grades will be calculated
Grades for GCSE and A-level qualifications in 2020 will be calculated on a combination of factors which may include marks for work completed to date, for example AS results for A level grades, and standardised teacher-assessed grades.
Teacher-assessed grades will be based on what teachers would expect a learner to achieve at the end of the course.
They need to represent a fair, reasonable and carefully considered judgement of the most likely grade that might be achieved in normal circumstances.
This is a professional judgement based on the combined assessment information held for that learner and will be a holistic judgement rather than focusing on a single source of evidence like mock examinations.
These are not target grades or aspirational grades and are not related to performance measures, which have been suspended for this year by Welsh Government. WJEC said it will contact schools and colleges in April to provide further details on how and when to submit teacher assessed grades.
Will AS-level or units taken by Year 10s be marked in the same way?
No. The priority is to get GCSE, A-level and Skills Challenge Certificate results decided.
Qualifications Wales said: “We are not planning to issue grades for AS Levels or for unit assessments taken by Year 10 learners in the same way.
“For those learners, we are looking at a variety of options, including the opportunity to sit exams in subsequent exam series. We will share more detail on those plans as soon as we can.”
Exam board WJEC said: “We can confirm that
Year 10 students sitting and cashing-in for full GCSE qualifications this summer will achieve a qualification grade, as we will use the same process as for Year 11 learners.”
What about vocational qualifications?
“Most vocational qualifications are offered across the UK, so we are working with fellow regulators, exam boards and governments across the UK to ensure consistency.
“We are still considering the fairest way to issue grades for learners who are studying qualifications other than GCSEs and A-levels. We will share more detail on those plans as soon as we can,” read a Qualifications Wales statement.
A WJEC statement said: “We are currently working with Qualifications Wales to consider how we progress with the Skills Challenge Certificate and also with other regulators for level 1/2, level 3 and entry level qualifications we offer.”
How will results be released? Can I appeal? Qualifications Wales said a date will have to be agreed for results to be released.
“Given the nature of the grades that are being issued this year, there will be no review of marking in the normal way,” its statement added.