GCSE and A-Level Exams Cancelled: Here’s How Students Will Get Their Grades
Ofqual has revealed how GCSE and A-Level grades will be awarded after this year’s exams were scrapped due to the Coronavirus outbreak. The government pulled the plug on the 2020 exam season to curb COVID-19’s spread, and now schools and colleges must provide grades based on student work, not tests.
Centre Assessment Grades: What Schools Need to Do
Schools and colleges will submit “centre assessment grades” – honest, evidence-based predictions of what students were likely to achieve if exams had gone ahead. This includes:
- Classwork and coursework
- Mock exam results
- Performances in subjects like music, drama, and PE
- Previous exam results for resitters or AS level students
- Rank order of students within each grade
These grades must be fair and carefully considered. The deadline for schools to send this info will be no earlier than 29 May.
Ofqual Boss Thanks Teachers and Reassures Students
“School and college assessments already play a big role in GCSEs and A-Levels,” said Ofqual Chief Regulator Sally Collier. “In these tough times, they’re best placed to judge students’ likely performance. We’ve worked closely with teachers to make sure this is fair and manageable. I want to thank school leaders and staff for supporting students throughout.”
She added that exam boards and Ofqual are committed to ensuring grades are fair and won’t disadvantage students when moving on to sixth form, college, apprenticeships, or work.
Private Candidates and Appeals: What Happens Now?
Private candidates – such as home-schooled students – are anxious about how they’ll be graded. Heads of centres will only submit grades for private candidates if they have enough evidence to make a fair judgement.
If no centre assessment grade can be made, some students may have to sit exams this autumn or next summer. Ofqual says universities and colleges will consider other evidence to help these students progress.
Final grades will be standardised nationally. A new statistical model will check for consistency across schools, looking at historical performance and cohort ability – but it won’t change the internal ranking of students.
Schools cannot share predicted grades with students or parents before results day, to protect fairness and avoid pressure to inflate grades. Results are expected on the usual August dates, possibly even earlier.
An appeals process will be set up soon, and extra exams for those who want to retake them will be scheduled for the new academic year.
Ofqual is also working on how to fairly award other vocational and technical qualifications, with updates coming shortly.
