Exam U-turn as pupils win reprieve over appeals

Schools will be allowed to challenge unfair grades after backlash over marking system

PUPILS will be allowed to challenge “unfair” A-level and GCSE grades after the exam regulator changed its stance in the face of a backlash from head teachers.

Schools will now be able to appeal against results in “exceptional” cases if they believe students are incorrectly marked down by the statistical modelling being used to calculate the grades.

The decision comes in the wake of the Scottish results fiasco where close to 125,000 predicted grades were downgraded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

Yesterday The Daily Telegraph revealed that head teachers in England were concerned that pupils faced being handed a “life sentence” unless they were allowed to appeal.

They warned “all hell would break loose” on A-level results day next week unless appeals were permitted.

Now the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual), the exam regulator, has softened its stance.

Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary, said he welcomed the changes to the appeals system, adding that no pupil should have their future frustrated by receiving unfair grades.

“It is vital that students with exceptional circumstances are not held back by the way grades have been calculated – including those who are highly talented in schools that have not in the past had strong results, or where schools have undergone significant changes such as a new leadership team,” he said.

Next Thursday teenagers will receive grades that have been calculated using a statistical model after the coronavirus crisis interrupted exams.

The model takes into account factors including pupils’ past performance as well as the past three years of the school’s grades in the same subjects.

It was feared that pupils in England would be condemned by the past performance of their school rather than judged on their own merits.

Government officials were particularly concerned about the plight of pupils in deprived communities, which had been deemed to be failing but were now under new leadership and being turned around. Ofqual was accused of handing pupils a “life sentence” by refusing to allow appeals, expect for on narrow technical grounds.

But yesterday the exam watchdog announced it would broaden the grounds for an appeal.

Schools can now appeal if they can provide evidence to show that the past three years’ results are “not sufficiently representative” of this year’s students.

This could be because the school is now on course for rapid improvements, or because the current year group of pupils are “unusually” able compared to previous years.

Such challenges, which would have to cite “extraordinary” or “momentous” incidents that may have affected students’ grades, will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, Ofqual said.

The watchdog also confirmed that it would allow appeals from students who believed they were the victims of discrimination or bias.

In a series of documents published yesterday, the exam watchdog admitted that the statistical model it has drawn up can, in certain circumstances, have a “narrowing effect” and “might affect the reliability of results”.

“We have amended the guidance to recognise that a centre might have evidence of improved exam results, which are clearly associated with an event, and might argue that results before that event are the wrong data,” it said.

The decision came amid a growing furore in Scotland, where the system was condemned as “fundamentally unfair”.

Last night head teachers welcomed the changes for English appeals.

Leora Cruddas, the chief executive of the Confederation of School Trusts, which represents academies, said: “We think it is a good thing that Ofqual has recognised that there are circumstances where historic data is an inaccurate picture.”

Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the move addressed some concerns, but added: “However, these grounds allow only for exceptional circumstances which can be clearly evidenced.”

He urged universities to show a spirit of generosity by giving students the benefit of the doubt over offers.