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Ofqual has said there are weeks left to make a decision on whether and when next year’s GCSE and A-level exams will take place, and has raised the idea of online testing if necessary.
The exams regulator launched a consultation in July, which proposed delaying the start of GCSE until after midterm, going back to June 7 to allow for more instructional time.
He said any changes would be announced in August, but has yet to make a final decision on the schedule for 2021 and is still working out contingency plans for next summer’s exams.
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Ofqual has yet to announce a final decision on the 2021 GCSE and A-level exam schedule
Questioned by deputies On how he planned to avoid a repeat of this summer’s testing fiasco, when ministers decided to scrap testing a grading algorithm, Ofqual’s chairman suggested that the regulator was interested in having traditional tests carried out.
Richard Taylor told the Commons education committee on Wednesday that it was “absolutely essential” that students undergo a “fair benchmark test.”
And in the case of a local lockdown, he said there are “mechanisms”, including “online tests”, that offer a solution.
Ofqual, which has been considering delaying exams next year, has been consulting on the matter since June.
In a consultation paper last month, Ofqual revealed that 37% of respondents strongly supported delaying exams, compared to 8% who said it was a bad idea.
The response of the query on whether to delay the exams (Source Ofqual)
The regulator said: “While there was general support for a delay in exams, to allow more time for teaching, respondents were less positive about this if it meant a possible delay in results.
“We will continue to work with the DfE (Department of Education), examination boards, regulators in Wales and Northern Ireland, and groups representing schools, universities and higher education to consider the best approach, and confirm our decisions as soon as possible. .. “
That was Aug. 3, and Julie Swan, the regulator’s executive director for general ratings, told MPs that a decision would be announced in the coming weeks.
Schools are reopening for the start of a new academic year
It means that staff and students face greater uncertainty with only two terms remaining to prepare for GCSEs and A levels, having missed several months of learning due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Mason Parkes, 15, who attends Bristnall Hall Academy in Oldbury, West Midlands, told Sky News: “It is definitely difficult and challenging … I would like the government to make a decision because we don’t know if we will do it later. or if they are only certain subjects or if they are the grades expected by the teachers.
“It’s definitely worrying because we don’t know what’s going on or what to do, or what we’re doing. I hope a decision is made soon. I’m going to try to lower my head and review every issue that I can.”
Rajan Mattu, 15, added: “I think the government needs to make a decision quite quickly so that we know what we have to do for our exams so that we can prepare in the right way.
“I wouldn’t prefer they be delayed. I’d rather get them out of the way and do them. All we can do is work, but we don’t know what to work on.”
On Tuesday, Education Secretary Gavin Williams, who supports delaying the exams, told MPs that the government is determined that the exams take place in 2021, adding that they were working with the industry to ensure “this is done. in the most fluid way possible. “
Labor has said next year’s exams should be delayed until mid-summer due to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis.
Shadow education secretary Kate Green said students starting grades 11 and 13 face “a mountain to climb” unless the schedule is changed.
He said exams scheduled for May should be delayed until June or July to facilitate additional teaching time.
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Some BTEC students have not yet received their grades, Labor MPs Sarah Owen and Shabana Mahmood told Williamson, who said the problem was being addressed “as quickly as possible”.
“This is something that happens every year, and the number of young people who received their BTEC awards was significantly higher than the previous year, but there are some centers where some challenges remain,” he said.
Ofqual came under fire after the “moderation” algorithm it devised meant that around 280,000 students in England saw their A-level grades drop by one degree or more from expected results.
The algorithm, used after the cancellation of this year’s exams due to the coronavirus pandemic, was claimed to have disproportionately penalized students from schools in disadvantaged communities.
The regulator faced further anger over its handling of the appeals process for students who wanted to question its results.
Following the controversy, Ofqual and the government took a 180-degree turn by ditching the algorithm and announcing that A-level and GCSE students would receive test scores as their teachers predicted.
