Announcement of measures to ensure fairness in Summer 2021 exams
Many constituents have contacted me about the plans for next years’ exams and I’ve fed all these concerns and ideas into the Department for Education.
Earlier this week I met Gavin Williamson, Education Secretary, to discuss the impact of the pandemic on schools across Penistone and Stocksbridge. So I’m pleased that an announcement has today been made about the measures that will be taken to support this year’s cohort of Year 11s and Year 13s. I'm particularly reassured to know that the measures have been decided upon following extensive engagement with Ofqual, exam boards and senior leaders across the education sector.
These measures will ensure exams are as fair as possible, whilst also making sure that young people don’t lose the opportunity to gain the qualifications they need to move to the next level of training or education.
The measures include:
- more generous grading than usual, in line with national outcomes from 2020, so students this year are not disadvantaged;
- students receiving advance notice of some topic areas covered in GCSE, AS and A levels to focus revision;
- exam aids - like formula sheets - provided in some exams giving students more confidence and reducing the amount of information they need to memorise;
- additional exams to give students a second chance to sit a paper if the main exams or assessments are missed due to illness or self-isolation; and
- a new expert group to look at differential learning and monitor the variation in the impact of the pandemic on students across the country.
I welcome the fact that these measures recognise that while teachers have gone above and beyond to support their pupils during a difficult period, some young people have had their teaching disrupted more than others and will need extra support to catch up on the curriculum and achieve their potential in exams. The establishment of a new expert group who will look at the variation in the impact of the pandemic on students across the country will also make sure that students who have missed periods of schooling due to isolation and other such matters are not disadvantaged.
We can never fully mitigate the effects of the pandemic on our children’s learning, and there is no perfect way to make next year’s exams exactly equivalent to a normal year. But as a former secondary school teacher I believe the approach being adopted is balanced and prioritises students’ long-term prospects whilst recognising the disruption of the last year.
Further details of the announcement can be found here.
