Exam boards have published advance information about some of the content due to come up in GCSEs and A-levels this summer, amid warnings that tens of thousands of pupils could lose out on top grades compared with last year’s results.
This summer is a transition year when examiners will be asked to be more generous when setting grade boundaries to provide a safety net for students who might otherwise just miss out on a higher grade, but there will be significantly fewer top grades when results are published in August.
On Monday, pupils and teachers were given access to long-awaited details of topics, themes and skills likely to be assessed during the exams, intended to help focus revision in the run-up to the summer series.
Advance information has been provided for the majority of GCSE and A-level subjects, including maths, biology, chemistry and languages. It does not provide exact questions that will appear in exams, however, and is one of a range of measures intended to recognise the impact of the pandemic on learning.
Analysis by the Liberal Democrats suggests about 90,000 pupils could miss out on top grades in their GCSEs and A-levels because of the government’s planned changes.
Summer exams are due to go ahead this year after two years of cancellations owing to the pandemic. The teacher-assessed grades that were used instead led to record results for students. The exams regulator Ofqual has said it wants to rein in grade inflation and get back to normal grading, but over a two-year period.
According to Liberal Democrat analysis, planned changes for this summer could mean that almost 25,000 GCSE pupils miss out on grades 7, 8 or 9, and 66,000 A-level students miss out on As or A*s, compared with under the grading system last year. This year’s results are still expected to be higher than 2019.
The Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, said: “Students taking exams this year have had their entire course affected by the pandemic, from the start through to the finish. Lowering grades this year is arbitrary, senseless and heartless when the pandemic is still ongoing.
“Our children have worked as hard as they can in incredibly difficult circumstances and their grades should reflect their hard work, instead of being artificially reduced by a thoughtless government.”
In addition to the advance information published by exam boards on Monday, the government has introduced adaptations include a choice of topics in some GCSEs such as English literature and history, and support materials such as formulae sheets in maths.
The education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, said: “Exams are the best and fairest form of assessment, and we firmly intend for them to take place this summer, giving students a fair chance to show what they know.
“We know students have faced challenges during the pandemic, which is why we’ve put fairness for them at the forefront of our plans. The information to help with their revision published today, as well as the range of other adaptations, will make sure they can do themselves justice in their exams this summer.”
Ofqual’s chief regulator, Dr Jo Saxton, said: “Students have shown so much resilience during the pandemic and we know that they are seeking certainty. Advance information published today is one of the ways we are supporting students to have that certainty as they prepare to show what they know and can do. We are also ensuring there is a safety-net for students with a generous approach to grading.”
Dr Mary Bousted, a joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “The release of this ‘advance’ information comes too late. There are grave concerns amongst teachers of exam groups that this will not be enough to fairly mitigate the disruption these students have experienced over two academic years.”
