Williamson: students ‘deserve’ the top grades

Critics say Government has ‘washed its hands’ of responsibility over A-level results

THE Education Secretary has defended this year’s A-level results despite concerns over record levels of grade inflation, as he says students “deserve to be rewarded” after a year of disruption.

Today, thousands of teenagers will receive their marks, which will be based on teachers’ predictions after exams were cancelled for the second year owing to the pandemic.

Experts believe that the number of school leavers handed top grades could be even higher than last year when a record 38 per cent of A-levels were awarded A or A*, a sharp increase on the 25 per cent awarded in 2019.

Around 19 per cent of qualifications are expected to be graded A* this year with a further 30 per cent likely to be A grades, it was reported last night.

University admissions tutors are understood to be panicking about the number of students with top grades, especially for courses where the number of places is limited.

In an attempt to see off criticism about grade inflation, Gavin Williamson has insisted that the debate about how this year’s grades have been awarded should not “undermine or question the value” of students’ results.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, he said that school leavers should instead be congratulated for their “resilience and determination” not to allow the pandemic to be a barrier to their futures.

“Because of the extraordinary conditions we have faced as a country, we announced in January that exams would not go ahead this year – it would have been unfair on students who had already given up so much in the battle against coronavirus,” Mr Williamson said.

“Their hard work, however, deserves to be rewarded with a qualification. We must support these students in looking to the future, because their whole lives are in front of them.”

Last night, the Government was accused of “belittling” and “demeaning” students by allowing grade inflation to flourish. The results also serve to mask the disruption to education caused by the pandemic, as it means it is not clear how far behind students have fallen compared with previous years.

John Nield, a former chief examiner at AQA, said ministers have “washed their hands” of exam results by leaving the grading process up to teachers.

“They have given up the reins of the whole thing,” he said. “Because of the criticism they had last year they have given up the responsibility. Yes, students have had a horrible two years educationally but they know where they are at in the pecking order and they will be looking at the results saying ‘that’s not right, we don’t deserve that’. It is belittling and demeaning.”

Yesterday, Simon Lebus, the interim chief regulator at Ofqual, said that teachers’ predicted grades would give a “more accurate” reflection of students’ abilities than exams would have done.

He told the BBC: “I think a good way to think of it is exams are a bit like a snapshot, a photograph – you capture an instant. Whereas teacher assessment allows teachers to observe student performance over a much longer period, in a rather more complex way, taking into account lots of different pieces of work and arriving at a holistic judgment.

“I think, from that point of view, we can feel satisfied that it’s likely to give a much more accurate and substantial reflection of what their students are capable of achieving.”

‘Exams would have been unfair on students who had already given up so much in the battle against Covid’

When students open their results today, I know that for many there will be the same trepidation and anxiety I felt 27 years ago when I opened that envelope.

And in this exceptional year, students have had to grapple with unique challenges, from less face-toface teaching to being isolated from friends.

Any debate about the system we’ve used this year should not undermine or question the value of the grades students will be getting today. We should congratulate them all for their resilience and determination not to allow the pandemic to be a barrier to their futures.

Because of the extraordinary conditions we have faced as a country, we announced in January that exams would not go ahead this year – it would have been unfair on students, who had already given up so much in the battle against coronavirus.

Their hard work, however, deserves to be rewarded with a qualification. We must support these students in looking to the future, because their whole lives are in front of them.

After the largest consultation in the Department for Education and Ofqual’s history – attracting more than 100,000 responses from universities, students, teachers and parents among others – we said that grades would instead be awarded by the people who know their students best: their teachers.

The pandemic has rightly built this country’s appreciation of teachers – and they’ve used a range of evidence to award grades that reflect the performance of their students. Most importantly, the grades awarded today will allow students to write the next chapter in their lives, including at our universities, or in further education and apprenticeships.

University is a valuable and important path, but young people can also consider further education or an apprenticeship. We are building a world-beating technical education system to sit alongside our leading universities, which will this year welcome record number of students.

In dentistry and medicine there has been a 20 per cent rise in applications, and we have adjusted the cap on places for these courses so that over 9,000 students – more than ever before – can take up opportunities to study this year.

And in anticipation of greater interest in popular courses that are key to the country’s recovery from the pandemic, £10million in additional grant funding is being given to universities to help them to increase capacity in nursing, STEM and other high-cost subjects. Ucas anticipates a record number of students will get their first-choice places. For those who do not, schools and colleges, as well as universities, stand ready to help, and the Exam Results Helpline is available to those who need additional advice.

There is an appeals system in place if a student believes a genuine error has been made in determining their grade. Alongside this, Ucas has asked universities to be flexible and hold open places until this deadline for students who appeal.

And just as thousands of A-level students did last year, pupils who want the opportunity to improve their grades will have the option of sitting an exam this autumn.

Ucas will also help thousands of students to find places through Clearing if they do not receive the grades they were hoping for.

Just like in other areas of our lives, the impact of the global pandemic on education will be felt beyond this year and we will need a “glide path” back to formal exams.

We have not had exams for two years now, and we do want to get back to normality. That work is already under way, with an Ofqual consultation ongoing about how we tailor next year’s exams to account for the disruption caused by Covid. It’s right that we have that debate with teachers and students themselves.

Now though is certainly not the time to talk down the hard work and achievements of young people, but to celebrate their success in unlocking the next steps in their journey. I wish them all good luck.

We should congratulate them for their resilience and determination not to allow the pandemic to be a barrier