High pollen count may have cost pupils an exam grade

HAY FEVER sufferers who sat GCSEs and A-levels this summer might have dropped a grade because of a high pollen count, research has suggested.

A study found that sufferers taking exams on a high pollen count day scored around 3 per cent worse than similar students on other days, offering evidence that hay fever damages students’ education by affecting their ability to enter a good university.

The Met Office declared “very high” pollen levels in the middle of June, around the fifth week of A-level and GCSEs exams.

Pupils who suffer from hay fever were found to be 10 per cent less likely to enrol in the leading universities and study the “STEM” subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths. Boys’ scores suffered more than girls when exposed to pollen.

The authors, who analysed data from students in Norway, said: “Holding high-stakes exams during pollen season has a large negative effect on allergic students who are subsequently unfairly barred from enrolling in the most prestigious universities.”

Brian Lightman, of the Association of School and College Leaders, said hay fever sufferers should inform their school in advance of exams. Students can apply for additional marks worth up to 5 per cent if their ability to sit an exam is undermined.