Pupils who failed tough new GCSE given a pass

PUPILS who failed a tougher GCSE science paper have been ‘saved’ after the exams regulator moved grade boundaries.

Ofqual said some youngsters who would have picked up a U on results day this Thursday will now get their results bumped up to a pass. The watchdog said it will take the extraordinary action following concerns pupils were inappropriately entered for a ‘higher tier’ paper for more able children.

Ofqual lowered the safety net after a larger than expected number of pupils looked set for a U – which stands for unclassified. The move comes amid a row over grade boundaries being set low in the new reformed exams, with some critics warning it is a continuation of a ‘prizes for all’ culture.

Ofqual announced the move yesterday in a blog about the combined science paper, where students are examined in three sciences but it counts as two GCSEs. The new qualification is tiered, meaning teachers have to choose whether to enter children for the higher tier paper or easier foundation tier.

The watchdog has refused to disclose how many pupils have been affected, the Times Educational Supplement reported. In a blog post, Cath Jadhav, of Ofqual, said: ‘For some students... receiving an unclassified result because they had been entered for higher tier would have misrepresented their ability.’

‘Misrepresenting their ability’