How pupils will be ranked after GCSEs and A-levels cancelled

SCHOOLS and colleges in Wales have been issued detailed information on how to rank students with a grade for each subject after GCSE and A-level exams were cancelled in the coronavirus pandemic.

The regulator also revealed results dates will be issued as soon as possible and no later than the published dates of August 13 for AS and A-level and August 20 for GCSE.

Qualifications Wales has told teachers to provide grades for pupils for GCSE, A-levels, AS-levels and the Skills Challenge Certificate (SCC).

It is now writing to schools with latest detailed guidance on how to reach a grade for each student in each subject.

The regulator said grades issued must be based on: ■■non-exam assessment already done;

■■results of any homework assignments already done; ■■mock exams, and;

■■any other records of performance over the course of study.

Teachers must draw on existing evidence of performance and not set new work to determine grades.

If they want to continue to set work to ensure that all teaching and learning has been completed, this should not be done to assist grading.

Teachers do not need to ask learners to complete any unfinished non-exam assessment work.

Schools do not need to submit any supporting evidence, such as learner work, to the WJEC, but should keep records of the grades and rank order submitted, in case of queries.

Heads of exam centres will be accountable for the accuracy of the data submitted.

Assessment grades from teachers must be submitted to the exam board the WJEC, no earlier than May 29.

The WJEC will provide instructions to centres on when and how to submit centre assessment grades and the rank order after Easter.

On whether students can appeal results given if they’re unhappy with them, Qualifications Wales’ guidance says: “Under the circumstances, the normal arrangements for reviews of marking and appeals will not apply.

“We are considering what arrangements might be put in place to allow an effective appeal, whilst keeping numbers and complexity of appeals manageable so as to avoid delay and uncertainty for students.

“More information will be made available to teachers, learners, parents and carers at the time final results are issued.”

Once assessment grades and the rank order have been submitted, the WJEC will carry out a process, agreed with Qualifications Wales, to standardise grades between centres to ensure fairness.

Head teachers and the Association of School and College Leaders said schools knew their students well and were well placed to accurately judge their achievement.

Qualifications Wales said in a statement: “The centre assessment grades submitted to WJEC must reflect a fair, reasonable and carefully considered judgement of the most likely grade a learner would have achieved if they had sat their exams this summer and completed any non-exam assessment.”

Schools, colleges and other exam centres which have been closed to pupils for two weeks since the coronavirus lockdown, will receive the regulator’s guidance now and further information will also be issued by the WJEC after Easter.

For every GCSE, AS, A-level and Skills Challenge Certificate qualification, each centre will be required to submit:

■■a centre assessment grade for each learner. This is the professional judgement of the subject teachers, including the head of department, about the grade that each learner is most likely to have achieved if they had sat their exams this summer; and

■■the rank order of learners within each grade, for each qualification.

In its guidance Qualifications Wales says: “It is important that teachers use holistic professional judgement, balancing a full range of evidence when they grade learners – including non-exam assessment; the results of any homework assignments or mock exams; and any other records of performance over the course of study.”