Teacher assessments will replace GCSE and A-level exams this summer, Gavin Williamson confirms

GCSE, AS and A-level exams in England this summer will be replaced by school assessments, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has confirmed.
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Mr Williamson told MPs that the Government will put its “trust in teachers, rather than algorithms”.

The Education Secretary acknowledged that exams are the “fairest way” of assessing what a student knows, but said the impact of the pandemic meant it was not possible to hold exams in the summer.

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His comments in the House of Commons came after the Government announced that schools and colleges in England would be closed until mid-February amid the new national lockdown.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson confirmed children would be assessed by their teachers instead of sitting end-of-year exams. Exams were also cancelled last summer, but Williamson insisted there would be no return to his department's use of a computer algorithm to apportion grades for university aspirants, which turned into a fiasco.(Photo by ROBERT BODMAN/AFP via Getty Images)Education Secretary Gavin Williamson confirmed children would be assessed by their teachers instead of sitting end-of-year exams. Exams were also cancelled last summer, but Williamson insisted there would be no return to his department's use of a computer algorithm to apportion grades for university aspirants, which turned into a fiasco.(Photo by ROBERT BODMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson confirmed children would be assessed by their teachers instead of sitting end-of-year exams. Exams were also cancelled last summer, but Williamson insisted there would be no return to his department's use of a computer algorithm to apportion grades for university aspirants, which turned into a fiasco.(Photo by ROBERT BODMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

The grading of GCSE and A-level students in England became a fiasco last summer when end-of-year exams were cancelled amid school closures.

Thousands of A-level students had their results downgraded from school estimates by a controversial algorithm, before Ofqual announced a U-turn, allowing them to use teachers’ predictions.

Williamson also revealed a support package for students learning remotely due to lockdown.