Call to reform exams to avert long-term grade inflation

GRADE inflation could be here to stay unless the entire exam system is overhauled, an Ofqual adviser has warned.

Having a second year of wildly inflated grades is the most “significant problem” with this year’s grading system, according to Barnaby Lenon, who is a member of the exam watchdog’s standards advisory group.

His remarks come as Gavin Williamson was forced to defend his plans for this summer’s A-level and GCSE results to be based on teachers’ predictions, after exams were cancelled for a second year in a row due to the pandemic.

Mr Lenon, chairman of the Independent Schools Council, said the most serious long-term ramification was the issue of how to “wind back” from such high levels of inflation, adding: “If we have grade inflation like last summer, are we going to live with that forever?”

He said ministers would feel that it is “never a good time” to revert to prepandemic levels of grade inflation since there would always be a year group that was disadvantaged by this change. To bring grade inflation levels down to pre-2020 levels, the entire system may need to be “rejigged”, he said, adding that this was “perfectly possible” to do.

Mr Lenon said that while this year was a “far from perfect system” it was at least better than last year. “This is the best we could do in a bad situation and I am pleased that we have a system that ensures that every student has grades.”

Mr Williamson defended the system, saying that internal and external checks would be carried out on teachers’ predicted grades to guard against inflation.