A-levels: Wales’ education minister ‘sorry’ for handling exam results

Welsh Education Minister Kirsty Williams has apologized “directly and unrestrictedly” for the way the A-level results were handled last week.

There was anger after 42% of A-level degrees in Wales were downgraded.

On Monday, ministers abandoned the system used to calculate the results, and instead give assessments made by teachers.

Ms Williams said she was “really sorry” for a process that made a stressful time “less” for some students.

The minister made the apology a day after the U-turn in a social media video, and in evidence before a Senate Commission.

“For our young people, and indeed everyone in Wales, the last few months have been and remain a stressful time,” she said.

“It has been a time of pain for people across the country.

“I’m sorry that – for some of us young people – the result process made that less.”

“The past few months have created unexpected, new and complex challenges,” she said. “We had to make decisions, and design new ways of working, at an incredible pace.

“Working with qualifications Wales and the WJEC we were looking for an approach that delivered honesty and balanced differences in the standards applied to judgments in schools.

“But, as I announced yesterday, and made earlier decisions, the balance of honesty now lies in assigning center order degrees to students.”

The apology marks a change in tone from Prime Minister Mark Drakeford, who on Monday said he was “sorry for these young people who have had to live through such an uncertain period”, but the system that was used, finished.

Some of his remarks after the U-turn were called “pretty shocking” by Blaenau Gwent Labor AM Alun Davies, in a tweet.

Ms Williams’ apology was the second that day of a Welsh Prime Minister, after Public Health Minister Vaughan Gething said he was sorry for any fear and stress caused.

UK Government Education Minister Gavin Williamson has apologized for “distress” ahead of exams in the UK, where ministers have also been moved to the grades held by teachers. Exams are also re-governed in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Like A levels, assessed grades of teachers will be used for GCSEs, AS levels, Skills Challenge certifications and the Welsh Baccalaureate.

Last week’s results in Wales were produced by a system known as standardization – designed to ensure that grades were “as honest as possible” and consistent with previous years.

But it was criticized by students and politicians for producing unfair degrees for individual students. GCSE results are due to be published on Thursday.

‘We were busy’

The Liberal Democrat education minister told Senedd’s education committee that she was not informed of the scale of the impact of using the algorithm to moderate A-level results until August 10, three days before the results were announced.

She said she was told on that day that 42% of the degrees would be depressed.

“I got those results on August 10, and we were worried,” she said.

Mrs Williams said the Welsh Government was “particularly concerned” about whether there could be a “disproportionate effect” on pupils receiving free school meals and asked for more information.

She said the WJEC provided this information to Qualifications Wales the following evening, and that it was given the following morning – Wednesday – the day before the results came out.

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Ms Williams’ remarks followed calls for a “complete and just apology to the young people of Wales” by Plaid Cymru.

It also came after a long day of evidence from officials involved in the process.

The main board of the Welsh Examination Board, the WJEC, defended the algorithm used for A-level results.

Ian Morgan said that system would mean that the grades A * to E would have increased by 1% as last year and A * to A would have increased by 2.9%, with A * 0.1% in 2019, with 1.7% of candidates that level.

He said that the decision to use assessments of teachers instead means that 99.9% of the candidates reach grades A * to E. There was now a 13.4% increase in candidates getting A * to A, meaning that 40.4% did reach standard.

Earlier on BBC Radio Wales, Mr Morgan said he was “somewhat” likely disappointed with the U-turn. “I think there is an enormous amount of rigor that has disappeared in the standardization process,” he said.

“I’m not here to try to question the doubts that teachers have placed. These were a complex set of circumstances and teachers have worked hard.”

Mr. Morgan acknowledged that there were “imperfections” with some students who did not get the right degrees – but said they were dismissed during the appeal process.

Jo Richards, Regulations Director of Qualifications Wales, acknowledged a delay in BTEC results. She said students should expect their results by the end of Tuesday.

“We have received notification from Pearson and we are working with them and asking for regular updates. They are working through this data,” she said.