We must sort out the A-level results mess

BEFORE plunging into any serious criticism over the government’s handling of the A-level crisis, it’s worth pointing out the difficulty of the whole enterprise, that is, with regard to awarding a particular grade at Advanced level based on information other than that provided by the actual examination per se: a real headache whatever system you adopt to arrive at a suitable grade.

Most certainly in the past there has always been that element of surprise for students on receiving the actual results; the “agony and ecstasy” of the occasion.

The former emanating from underperformance: the latter having done better than expected.

Some students, of course, underachieve in external examinations when measured against a backcloth of course work and internal examinations.

This can in part be due to emotional factors, such as coping with the stress, since so much of the student’s future hinges on results.

In predicting results there can arise a slight lack of objectivity arising from a student being somewhat borderline between grades; the teacher understandably opting for marking one grade up rather than down. For sure this was a predicament that frequently came my way.

Since many head teachers seem to be totally disillusioned with the present outcome and are favouring teacher-based assessments, then why in the light of such healthy criticism cannot the examination bodies furnish information which clearly shows how close teachers’ predictive grades, over a number of years, have actually matched up to the actual examination results?

Surely if such can be shown to have more or less matched up to actual results, then there is a good argument for them being adopted for this year’s unfortunate students? This would at least go some way to sorting out the mess. Finally, one must surely be left wondering why Ofsted has remained silent for it is this organisation that has put so much onus on league tables, in some part viewing exam results as both a measure of both student and teacher performance. I’d love to read, at least, the point of view of a head of sixth form with many years’ experience.

David Abbott Stoke Golding