Sheffield students see A-Level results downgraded after exams cancelled because of Covid

The proportion of A-level entries awarded an A grade or higher has risen to an all-time high, with 27.9% securing the top grades this year, figures for England, Wales and Northern Ireland show.

But exam boards downgraded nearly two in five (39.1%) pupils’ grades in England, according to data from Ofqual – which amounts to around 280,000 entries being adjusted down after moderation.

Teachers were told to submit the grades they thought each student would have received if they had sat the papers, alongside a rank order of students, after exams were cancelled amid the pandemic.

Exam boards moderated these grades to ensure this year’s results were not significantly higher than previously and the value of students’ grades were not undermined.

In England, a total of 35.6% of grades were adjusted down by one grade, 3.3% were brought down by two grades and 0.2% came down by three grades, figures from Ofqual show.

High Storrs School in Sheffield said that the news was a ‘bitter pill to swallow’.

A spokesperson for the school said: “We had high hopes that this day and set of A level results would go some way to make up for the educational milestones that they missed as a consequence of the global pandemic and national lockdown.

"However, for many students, today is another bitter pill to swallow. On Radio 4 on Wednesday morning, Nick Gibb promised all students receiving A level results that 60% of centre assessed grades would be upheld and that no students’ final grade would be more than a grade lower than their centre assessed grade.

"We were devastated to find only 42% of our carefully gathered Centre Assessed grades have been upheld and consequentially 365 CAGs have been downgraded (58%). Even worse, for quite a number of students their final grade is significantly (i.e. not just one grade) below the centre assessed grade we submitted based on mock exams and a whole host of information we have about each student. 70 students achieved a higher grade in their mock examination than they have been awarded for their final grade and, despite announcements in the press, there is currently no information about how we appeal final grades using these outcomes for students who need them to progress to university.

"Our students have been failed by the system and we will spend the coming weeks appealing their grades and fighting for the grades and futures they deserve.”

But overall, the proportion of entries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland awarded the top A* grade this year has surged to 9% – the highest proportion since the top grade was first introduced in 2010.

In total, 27.9% of entries were awarded an A or A* grade this summer, which is up by 2.4 percentage points on last year when 25.5% achieved the top grades.

The figures, published by the Joint Council for Qualifications, cover A-level entries from students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland where around 300,000 students are receiving their results.

The Government announced late on Tuesday that students in England will have the “safety net” of being able to use mock exam results as the basis for an appeal if they are higher than the calculated grade.

It came hours after Scotland’s Education Secretary announced that moderated calculated grades would be scrapped following an outcry after more than 124,000 results were downgraded.

Speaking about the A-level results, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “While there has been an overall increase in top grades, we are very concerned that this disguises a great deal of volatility among the results at school and student level.

“We have received heartbreaking feedback from school leaders about grades being pulled down in a way that they feel to be utterly unfair and unfathomable. They are extremely concerned about the detrimental impact on their students.”

He added that school leaders are “dismayed” that the statistical model used to standardise grades has had a “devastating impact.

Mr Barton said: “We are now calling on the government and the exam regulator Ofqual to review the situation as a matter of urgency, and we would warn them against simply digging in their heels, and insisting all is well.”

Dr Philip Wright, director general of JCQ, said: “Students across the UK receiving their A-level results today should be proud of their grades, which reflect their hard work and commitment over the previous two years.

“Thank you to all the teachers, senior leaders and exams officers whose efforts to produce the Centre Assessment Grades will mean students are able to move on to the next phase of their education or into employment.

“This is a moment for students to celebrate their learning and we wish them all the best as they take their next steps in life.”