Fears amid exam results system which could ‘rob youth of futures’

A FORMER Calderdale education union chief has said there are ‘stressful times ahead’ for some pupils receiving GCSE and A-Level exam grades.

Sue McMahon, former secretary of Calderdale’s National Union of Teachers (NUT), said there needs to be more trust put into teachers and less on the ‘algorithm’, which has been used to predict pupil’s grades.

Students were told they will be marked based on previous classwork, homework, coursework, and mock exams.

Ms McMahon said: “It will be stressful over the next two months. There’s an algorithm being used to total grades, but I feel there needs to be more trust put into teachers when finalising grades, because it’s teachers who knows these young adults best.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer spoke to teachers in Wakefield yesterday about the system used by Government to calculate grades, which he said could ‘rob a generation of young people of their future’.

Pupils will be allowed to appeal if they believe the moderation process has not been followed correctly and have evidence of bias or discrimination.

Exam regulator Ofqual is being pressured to amend its grading system and appeals process over fears it could unfairly affect students in the long run. An Ofqual spokesperson said: “Students can appeal through schools or colleges if they believe a mistake.”

Ofqual will publish information on how appeals will operate this summer.

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