Announcement on Public Examinations
Posted on: March 23rd 2020
Dear Parents and Students
Some of you may be aware of the latest Government
announcement regarding GCSE and A Level
examinations and grades.
Announcement on Public Examinations
The Department for Education (DfE) released further details on how grades will be calculated following the cancellation of examinations this summer. GCSE and A Level candidates will be awarded a calculated grade. If students do not feel that their calculated grade reflects their performance, there will be an option for students to sit an examination at the earliest opportunity, once schools are reopened. The full press release is here.
The calculated grade will be awarded in the following manner:
- The examination boards will ask teachers to submit a judgement about the grade they think the student would have achieved, if the examinations had gone ahead, for GCSE and A Level candidates.
- The grades given to examination boards by teachers will take into account a range of evidence and data, including mock examinations and other non-examined assessment. Further guidance will be provided to schools in due course.
It is unclear at this stage whether or not this could include work that students complete over the weeks ahead. Therefore, students must continue with the remote lessons set by their teachers.
- Examination boards will combine this information from schools with other relevant data, including prior attainment of students, all of which will result in a calculated grade for each student.
- These calculated grades will be provided to students before the end of July 2020.
- The DfE notes that the distribution of grades will be similar to that of other years. If students feel that the process of determining their calculated grade has not been fair, then the DfE has said that students will be able to appeal on this basis.
- In addition, if students feel that the grades do not reflect their performance, they will have an opportunity to sit the examination(s) as soon as schools are open. Although the timing of this is ambiguous in the document from the DfE, it is suggested that it will be in the next academic year.
I appreciate that this press release leaves many questions unanswered for parents and students. The uncertainty is unsettling. I shall write to you as soon as there are more relevant facts from the Government.
All the best
Mr Hinds
Principal