TEACHERS' GRADING RATHER THAN EXAM PAPERS 'DOES NOT DIMINISH RESULTS ACHIEVED BY YEARS OF HARD WORK', SAYS TQEA PRINCIPAL

RECORD-BREAKING SETS OF MARKS AFTER FLAWED ALGORITHM ABANDONED

AN ATHERSTONE head today saluted GCSE pupils in the Class of 2020 for their "outstanding commitment, endeavour and resilience" in the face of the most disrupted academic year in UK history.

The Queen Elizabeth Academy principal Neil Harding said relying on teachers' grading "does not diminish" the achievements of their "richly and truly deserved" results

Most students at the Witherley Road academy for 11 to 16-year-olds have not attended lessons in school since March with key exams scrapped at the start of lockdown.

The normal nerve-wracking process at the best of times was heightened for Year 11s left to fret about their grades after the national A-Level debacle last week.

But they needn't have worried as the pupils were informed on Thursday morning of their "considerable successes".

Their joy was mirrored across England with a record-breaking set of marks – with data today showing 78.8 per cent of papers were rated grade 4 or above.

The figure was 69.9 per cent in 2019. The school issued a statement in which it spoke of the "pride" of performance by those sitting their exams in an "extraordinary year". It went on: "These results were due to outstanding commitment, endeavour and resilience by Year 11 students with excellent teaching from their teachers and unwavering support from parents. "It is a testimony to these young people that their hard work has been recognised in the success stories that are being deservedly celebrated today." The academy handed out special mentions to a group of "high fives" students with exceptional results. Georgia Wright achieved an incredible 11 GCSEs at Grade 7 or above while Jack Richardson managed an outstanding 10 exam successes at Grade 7 or above, which included four GCSEs at Grade 9. Tyler Russell hit a superb five straight Grade 9 GCSEs. Oscar Busby achieved a fabulous eight GCSEs at Grade 7 or above while Ashton Farmer finished with a fantastic seven GCSEs – all at Grade 7 or above. Two other pupils were singled out for praise – the "dedication and commitment" of Molly Hall and Indianna Lewis led to them achieving the highest progress scores in the academy. Mr Harding commented: "These GCSE results represent years of hard work and dedication by committed students and staff with excellent support from parents. "The fact that these students were not able to take their final examination papers does not diminish their achievements and these grades have complete integrity in line with the progress these wonderful students had made over many years of hard work in their studies, as well as in the excellent progress TQEA students usually make during their time here. "Congratulations to the Class of 2020. "Their results are richly and truly deserved and we look forward to celebrating with them in the future". "We wish every member of the class of 2020 every success for the future as they prepare to move to the next steps in their journey. Executive principal Andrew Wilson added: "What an incredible year, these grades are testament to the huge efforts put in by all at the academy and are a superb reflection on our students and community. "Whilst excellent achievement is an expectation for students at TQEA, these grades genuinely open doors to a bright and successful future for the Class of 2020." Nationally, there was a rise of a quarter in the top grades – a 7 or above – which is equivalent to an A or A* in the old system. Pass rates are also up across the board – with the amount of students getting grade 4 or above rising by 13 per cent to 76 per cent year-on-year. The key subjects of English and maths saw steep increases in grades in England The thorny question of grading saw a flawed algorithm abandoned at the last minute after nearly 40 per cent of A-levels – 280,000 entries – were marked down by one grade or more by exam regulators. Then the U-turn began with education ministers from each UK nation switching to centre-assessed grades for both A-levels and GCSEs. At the same time as the GCSE reversal, thousands of A-level entries are also being upgraded, with the proportion of candidates receiving an A grade or higher in England increasing to 38.1 per cent, up from 27.6 pe cent when results were initially released last week. Meanwhile, Btec students said they have been left feeling like "second class students" after being left waiting for their final grades. Hundreds of thousands of students have been left in limbo after the exam board told schools and colleges not to release Btec results to pupils on Thursday. These grades were not included in the original exam-grading U-turn, but on Wednesday – with hours to go until results day – examiner Pearson said it would regrade Btecs to "address concerns about unfairness". LOCKDOWN TO EXAM TIMELINE Wednesday, March 18

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces schools and colleges in England will close from March 20 to slow the spread of Covid-19 with A-level and GCSE exams cancelled.

Friday, March 20

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson announces students will be given grades based on teacher assessments for each subject, which will then be submitted to the exam boards; and

The Department for Education claims the calculated grades will be "indistinguishable from those provided in other years". If the grading judgments appear to be more severe or generous than others, exam boards will adjust them, the regulator says.

Friday April 3

Ofqual instructs teachers to provide grades that reflect "fair, objective and carefully considered" judgments of the results they believe each student would have been most likely to achieve. Friday, July 10

The Commons Education Select Committee warns that pupils could miss out on the results they deserve as the appeal process risks being "unfair" for disadvantaged students.

Tuesday, July 21

Ofqual says GCSE and A-level students' results are likely to be higher than in previous years; and

The regulator says that if the teacher-assessed grades had not been adjusted through the standardisation process, this year's results would have been 12 percentage points better than in 2019 at A-level and nine points at GCSE.

Tuesday, August 4

Some 124,564 exam results for school pupils in Scotland are downgraded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority – more than a quarter of the total moderated. Thursday, August 6

Ofqual says schools and colleges in England can appeal over grades if they can prove historical data used to standardise marks is not a reliable indicator of this year's results due to a change in circumstances.

Tuesday, August 11

Scotland's Education Secretary, John Swinney, announces that school exam results downgraded by the moderation process will revert to the grades estimated by pupils' teachers. Wednesday, August 12

Mr Williamson says the system will deliver "credible, strong results" for the overwhelming majority of young people, describing it as "fair and robust".

Thursday, August 13

A-level pupils receive their results, with thousands finding their grades have been downgraded by exam boards; and

According to Ofqual, 39.1% per cent of pupils' grades in England were marked down by one grade or more – amounting to 280,000 entries being adjusted./p>

Saturday, August 15

Mr Williamson is insisting there will be no U-turn on the grading system, claiming that moving to the Scottish model would lead to "rampant grade inflation". Sunday, August 16

Hundreds of A-level students protest against the results in central London, while education unions criticise the Government, too.

Monday, August 17

The Government makes a U-turn over the way A-level and GCSE exam results are awarded in England, following mounting pressure against Mr Williamson and Mr Johnson; and the Education Secretary apologises for the way the process was handled. Wednesday, August 19

Schools and colleges are told not to issue BTec results to students on Thursday after another last-minute U-turn on grading;

Exam board Pearson said it would recalculate results based on centre-assessed grading. Thursday, August 20

GCSE results: The proportion of entries receiving the top grades – at least a 7 or an A – is a record high at 25.9 per cent in England; and

At the same time thousands of A-level entries are also upgraded, with the proportion of candidates receiving an A grade or higher in England increasing to 38.1 per cent, up from 27.6 pe cent when results were initially released last week.

Footnote: No selection testing – including 11+ exams and the admissions process for selective schools – will take place until the end of October/early November, according to local education chiefs.

The normal September tests will have to wait, Warwickshire County Council says. Once the revised dates have been confirmed, those families who registered their children for the 2021 entry will be informed.

All will be conducted in line with coronavirus guidelines.