A-level and GCSE results in Wales will be based on teacher predictions as controversial algorithm scrapped
Monday 17 August 2020 16:34, UK
A-level and GCSE students in Wales will get their exam results as predicted by teachers instead of an algorithm, after the controversial system was scrapped.
It follows the earlier announcement in Northern Ireland that GCSE marks due to be released on Thursday will be graded in the same way, while A-level pupils will have to keep the marks they were handed by the system.
Welsh education minister Kirsty Williams said the change was happening "given decisions elsewhere" and will also affect AS-levels, skills challenge certificates and the Welsh Baccalaureate.
"It is clear that maintaining confidence in our qualifications whilst being fair to students requires this difficult decision," she said.
"These have been exceptional circumstances."
No student who received their marks last week will get a lower grade as a result of the announcement, Ms Williams added.
The move piles further pressure on the government to act in England.
Some senior Conservative MPs and the Tory architect of GCSEs in the 1980s want the publishing of results to be postponed while a better system is worked out.
Anger has broken out into the open, with former minister Stephen Hammond telling Sky News the situation is a "shambles" and party whips having to urge MPs to stay quiet.
There was even public disquiet from the frontbench, paymaster general Penny Mordaunt tweeting she had made her views known to the Department for Education.
Labour is also urging ministers to "bring the exams fiasco to an end".
"The government must now allow young people to use the grades their teachers predicted at both A-level and GCSE," shadow education secretary Kate Green said.
Downing Street is hoping to avoid another week's chaos following complaints that the algorithm meant to standardise grades benefited private schools and "baked in inequality".
Boris Johnson has previously called it "robust" and "dependable".
The prime minister's spokesman was asked to repeat those defences on Monday but declined.
He did say Mr Johnson has full confidence in Gavin Williamson, the education secretary for England, and exams regulator Ofqual.
Asked if England could follow the lead of the three other UK nations, the spokesman told reporters: "It is a devolved issue, our focus remains on working hard to introduce the fairest system possible for pupils."
Sky News understands the UK government will make an announcement on exam results later on Monday.
Pupils in Mr Williamson's South Staffordshire constituency who are angry at the situation marched from their high school to his office.
They carried placards saying "sack Gavin", "your algorithm doesn't know me" and "stop playing postcode politics".
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