A-level and GCSE students in England will be handed exam grades as predicted by their teachers instead of a controversial algorithm, Ofqual has announced.
The move marks a stark U-turn by both Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, and comes after growing fury from pupils and Tory MPs about the handling of the results crisis.
Ministers have been coming under pressure for several days over their system to grade students whose exams were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In England, nearly 40% of A-level marks were downgraded, while the system also appeared to advantage private schools, which saw nearly double the number of increase in top marks year-on-year.
The controversial algorithm led to heartbreaking stories from students missing out on places based on the performance of their school over recent years.
Scotland was the first nation to scrap the moderated grades and let students have what they were predicted by teachers.
Then Northern Ireland followed suit for GCSE pupils but not those sitting A-levels, and on Monday afternoon Wales also announced it was making the change for all exam-takers.
Mr Johnson had defended the system last week, saying it was “robust” and “dependable”.
Mr Williamson also told Sky News last week that there would be no U-turn.
Asked if he could rule it out, the education secretary said: “Absolutely, when we’ve consulted widely, when Ofqual consulted widely [on] the whole system of awarding, this is the message that we got from everyone – this is the right approach to go forward.
“You’ve got to have a system that has checks and balances, that looks at the whole performance and making sure you maintain standards within the exam system, to ensure those results carry credibility.”
