Colleges have been told not to issue BTEC results tomorrow after an eleventh hour grading U-turn from Pearson.

The company, which is the custodian of BTECs, told colleges at 4.30pm today the qualifications will be regraded to “apply consistency across teacher assessed internal grades” following the U-turn for GCSEs and A-levels.

While CAGs for internal units, such as coursework, are generally accepted, Pearson had subsequently calculated the grades for the examined units using historical performance data to “maintain overall outcomes over time”.

It has left leaders frantically reopening results envelopes to amend the details that will be given to pupils tomorrow morning, and leaving thousands of youngsters with missing results.

Ofqual said Pearson “initially did not think there would need to be significant changes” but has now “decided to revise its arrangements”.

They said this would “ensure that students’ qualification-level results better reflect the unit-level results that students have already secured through internally-assessed units”.

A spokesperson for the regulator added: “Everyone is working as quickly as possible to confirm results as soon as possible, recognising the impact that delays are having on schools, colleges and students.”

Pearson has asked schools not to issue level 1 and 2 BTECs tomorrow as they are now being regraded, along with the level 3 nationals.

In a letter to colleges, Cindy Rampersaud, senior vice president, said: “We appreciate this will cause additional uncertainty for students and we are sorry about this.

“Our priority is to ensure fair outcomes for BTEC students in relation to A levels and GCSEs and that no BTEC student is disadvantaged.”

She added they will “work urgently … to reissue these grades”.

Association of Colleges chief executive David Hughes said they had asked Pearson to look at a “small number of results which looked unfair”.

He added that BTEC students “deserve equal footing with A-levels and GCSEs,”  as there has been a “perception that using CAG grades for some exams and not for BTEC students was unfair”.

But he expressed concern with the timing, as thousands of students were due to get their results tomorrow, while others have already received theirs.

“It is vital for students that this is sorted in days rather than weeks so that students have the chance to celebrate and to plan their next steps. It is a stressful time and this delay will extend the uncertainties.”

Students who want to move onto further or higher education will be the “most worried,” Hughes continued, and the AoC are communicating with the DfE, Ofqual and Pearson to “make sure BTEC students applying for universities can still be treated fairly”.

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LETTER IN FULL

Dear Colleague,

Following Ofqual’s announcement that A Level and GCSE students are to receive Centre Assessment Grades, we have reviewed the impact on BTEC students and taken on board feedback from teachers, schools and colleges. Following our review and your feedback we have decided to apply Ofqual’s principles for students receiving BTECs this summer.

This means we will now be regrading all the following BTECs – BTEC Level 3 Nationals (2010 QCF and 2016 RQF), BTEC Level 1/2 Tech Awards, BTEC Level 2 Technicals and BTEC Level 1/2 Firsts.

BTEC qualification results have been generally consistent with teacher and learner expectations, but we have become concerned about unfairness in relation to what are now significantly higher outcomes for GCSE and A Levels.

Although we generally accepted Centre Assessment Grades for internal (i.e. coursework) units, we subsequently calculated the grades for the examined units using historical performance data with a view of maintaining overall outcomes over time. Our review will remove these calculated grades and apply consistency across teacher assessed internal grades and examined grades that students were unable to sit.

We will work urgently with you to reissue these grades and will update you as soon as we possibly can. We want to reassure students that no grades will go down as part of this review.

We appreciate this will cause additional uncertainty for students and we are sorry about this. Our priority is to ensure fair outcomes for BTEC students in relation to A Levels and GCSEs and that no BTEC student is disadvantaged.

Therefore, we ask schools and colleges not to issue any BTEC L1 and L2 results tomorrow as these will be reviewed and where appropriate, regraded.

We will share more information as soon as we can. Please contact us if you have any questions. We thank you in advance for your understanding and patience.

Best wishes,

Cindy Rampersaud
Senior Vice-President
BTEC & Apprenticeships

The Department for Education has made another exams U-turn by saying it now has “full confidence” in the regulator – just a day after education secretary Gavin Williamson refused to do so.

Williamson has been widely reported as attempting to lay the blame for this year’s results fiasco with Ofqual. He was reported as refusing four times yesterday to express “confidence” in Sally Collier, the chief regulator (pictured).

A DfE spokesperson said: “As the government has made clear, we have full confidence in Ofqual and its leadership in their role as independent regulator and we continue to work closely with Ofqual to deliver fair results for our young people at this unprecedented time.”

The department also clarified that it was Ofqual who took the decision to move to centre assessment grades.

The spokesperson added: “The decision they took to move from moderated grades to centre assessed grades was one that we agreed with.

“Our focus remains on working with Ofqual to ensure students receive their final GCSE, AS level and A level results this week so that they can move on to the next stage of their lives.”

The backing comes amid calls from some Conservative MPs for the regulator to be scrapped.

There are still 500 BTEC results “outstanding,” the chief executive of Association of Colleges said this morning. 

Speaking to ITV’s This Morning, David Hughes said those students would get their results today or tomorrow. 

A spokesperson for Pearson, the BTEC awarding body, said: “We are aware that some students are still waiting to receive their Level 3 BTEC results. We apologise for any stress and frustration this may have caused. We are working closely with the students and colleges involved to look into this urgently and provide any outstanding results as soon as we can.” 

It comes after delays in the release of the results, which had been due last Thursday and awarding body Pearson has put down to some colleges and schools submitting student information after their deadlines.  

Exams regulator Ofqual yesterday tried to explain why the results for vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) like BTECs had been delayed, saying they are “structured differently to A levels and GCSEs, and so the approach to awarding results has been different”. 

Whereas A-level and GCSE results were calculated using teacher-assessed grades, VTQ results have been arrived at using evidence of work completed during the course, or even taken from adapted assessments taken during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Department for Education has published its first set of board minutes since February 2018 – more than two years ago. It follows freedom of information requests from FE Week’s sister title  FE Week asking for the information.

The DfE first told FE Week it could not release the board minutes because it planned to published them. However when asked for evidence of a publication schedule – the department admitted it didn’t have one, and vowed to publish them by the end of last month.

That deadline was missed, but they were finally published yesterday. Here’s what we found out.

 

1. Non-execs given more policy power just before former Tory aide appointed

In February’s board meeting, education secretary Gavin Williamson decided that non-executive directors would “take more in-depth roles” to support the DfE deliver its objectives.

The minutes state he said NEDs had “very valuable breath of skill and experience”, adding “while they would not be asked to influence policy, their advice at an early stage on policy implementation, delivery and departmental transformation would be extremely valuable”.

The following month, in March, Nick Timothy, the former adviser to Theresa May while she was prime minister, was appointed as a non-exec director.

The pair seem to be on good terms, for instance Timothy, who also formerly led the New Schools Network charity, was vocal in his support of Williamson when he was under fire as defence secretary.

NEDs are usually a ministerial appointment and advise on and monitor delivery of the department’s strategic priorities.

 

2. Exams weren’t discussed once at June’s board meeting

The most recent minutes relate to a board meeting in June. Given the uproar of the past few days over the now ditched grading system, it seems somewhat surprising exams weren’t discussed at all during that meeting.

This is despite another big issue caused by the coronavirus – how to reopen schools – getting a good airing.

Williamson has come under fire for his oversight of the exams fiasco – admitting that he hadn’t even seen details of the Ofqual algorithm or results until the weekend. He said the department had asked challenging questions of Ofqual during the development of the system, but said the regulator had reassured him the system was fair and robust.

 

3. Board members told Agnew’s controversial cost-cutting measures were ‘great’

Then education secretary Damian Hinds introduced an item on the government’s school resource management adviser scheme at a board meeting on May 16 last year.

The board was updated on the “reduction of non-staff spend and the great advice provided through the School Resource Management Advisors”.

Describing the advice as “great” may be up for debate. The board meeting was just two months after FE Week had revealed the advisers told schools to cut down on food portion sizes and pocket money raised for charity to save cash.

The government was later challenged over the findings of our investigation. One MP at the time said the advice “belonged to the days of the workhouse”.

The minutes also note that board members said there were “great opportunities for schools to make savings”, but that “people have different priorities in terms of cost, service quality and responsiveness and those need to be considered as part of this process”.

 

4. Government praises itself over handling of Carillion collapse – weeks before hundreds of jobs lost

The government patted itself on the back over the way it handled the fallout from the collapse of major construction company Carillion – just weeks before almost 350 of the company’s ex-apprentices lost their wages.

According to the minutes from a meeting on 21 June 2018, the board “discussed there had been a number of successes in the last quarter including the response to Carillion”.

But FE Week reported on 31 July that 341 apprentices, whose wages had been paid by a government receiver after Carillion went into liquidation the previous January, would have that support removed, meaning attempts to find them work had failed.

The Construction Industry Training Board, which had been tasked with finding Carillion’s apprentices new work or education opportunities, said the previous April that over 800 apprentices had been found a new job or education provider. The Department for Education said 777 had been found new employment with wages.

 

5. And finally … why is the department so sluggish? (a note from FE Week editor John Dickens)

Putting aside for a moment that the minutes themselves are shockingly lacking any real details, the principle of a government department being transparent about what is said by its most senior members is important.

Even more so given the hypocrisy this situation exposes.

The DfE names and shames academy trusts for not submitting accounts on time, and is looking to do the same for councils.

The department’s own further education commissioner very publicly rapped Hull College for not publishing up-to-do minutes.

Meanwhile, before yesterday’s release, the latest DfE board meeting minutes we had access to were from February 2018 –30 months ago. (Despite this, they have some strange errors: June’s meeting has a February date on it. In a heading, school resource management is spelt as ‘SCHOOL RESROUCE MANAGMENT’)

Why is this the case? We’ve no idea – but there doesn’t appear to be any good reason why the department continues to shun the principles that it insists other must follow.

Colleges have been handed up to £4.5 million to repair and refurbish buildings and campuses in a £200 million boost for providers, details of which have been revealed today. 

More than 180 colleges will share the boost, according to the Department for Education, in what education secretary Gavin Williamson called “brilliant news” for the sector. 

Williamson said a key part of building a “world-class further education system” is ensuring “colleges are fit for the future – with better facilities and brand-new buildings”. 

He said colleges can start work on renovations “immediately” as “now more than ever, it is vital that colleges can support their students to gain the skills they need to progress and help the economy to recover and grow”. 

NCG, which runs colleges across the country, is the biggest beneficiary, scoring £4,597,902 from the pot. 

Capital City College Group, based in London, received the second highest amount with £4,535,305, while London-based New City College is third-highest with £3,685,336. 

The chief executive of the Association of Colleges David Hughes said colleges “will be pleased” by their allocations and it will help them provide “the facilities, advice, support and high-quality teaching young people and adults need”. 

This funding is part of a £1.5 billion capital investment in England’s FE estate over the next five years, promised by chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak in his March budget. 

In June, it was announced by prime minister Boris Johnson the government would ‘fast track’ this £200 million a year earlier than was planned. 

The government previously said colleges would have to match funding with 21 per cent. Yet FE Week understands colleges will not need to match the funding announced today. 

The funding does come ahead of a much-anticipated White Paper by the government, which FE Week reported in May could involve the government imposing much greater control over colleges. 

The government is also due to start tendering later this year for a further eight Institutes of Technology, vocational providers run between universities, FE colleges, and employers. 

These new institutes – which will be placed in certain local enterprise partnership areas – are on top of 12 institutes commissioned in April 2019. 

FE Week analysis of the first 12 found there were no institutes planned for the north west or the east of England, but the department has said this next competition will “ensure that all parts of England is covered by Institutes of Technology”. 

See how much was received by each of the colleges awarded capital funding here, and the ten colleges which received the most below:

Name	Further education capital allocation
NCG	£4,597,902
The WKCIC Group	£4,535,305
New City College	£3,685,336
Leeds City College	£2,989,776
Activate Learning	£2,793,421
Nottingham College	£2,757,525
South and City College Birmingham	£2,516,994
LTE Group T/A The Manchester College	£2,338,681
South Thames Colleges Group	£2,244,401
East Kent College	£2,240,502

Colleges have been told to expect revised grades for their A-level students tomorrow.

However the Joint Council for Qualifications, which represents exam boards, has not released any further details – saying more information would come shortly.

It follows an announcement that schools and colleges will receive their GCSE results at 00.01 tomorrow.

This would be the centre assessment grade, of the calculated grade if higher, the body said.

In a short statement, they added they would be “allowing students to receive their final GCSE grades as usual on Thursday”.

When asked about A-level pupils, JCQ said the revised grades will be going to schools and colleges tomorrow, but more details will be provided shortly.

 

Exams regulator Ofqual has warned the results of a small number of level 2 qualifications due for release this week may be delayed. 

In a statement on the grading of vocational and technical qualifications released this afternoon, Ofqual says a small proportion of vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) were put through a grading algorithm, similar to the approach taken for A-levels and GCSEs. 

So, following the government’s announcement yesterday that centre-assessment grades (CAGs) could be used to decide A-level, GCSE and VTQ results, Ofqual said: “A small proportion of results at level 2 and below which are due for issue this Thursday will need to be recalculated.  

“It is possible that they may not be available until a few days later than expected and any awarding organisations in this position will provide information as soon as possible about when this will be.” 

Furthermore, Ofqual said it is starting to see awarding bodies re-run awarding processes to ensure VTQ learners are not disadvantages compared to GCSE and A-level students. 

“We think that a small proportion of level 3 VTQ results that were issued last week will be regraded upwards as a result,” the statement reads. 

The update was given, the watchdog says, “to reassure learners who have taken vocational and technical qualifications, after yesterday’s decision”. 

It is “vital” people understand, the statement continues, the grading algorithm used to decide A-levels and GCSEs was not used in most VTQs, including BTECs, as VTQs are structured differently. 

Many VTQs, Ofqual said, were able to use work completed during the course as a basis for calculating results and for other qualifications, learners had taken adapted assessments so there was no calculation process.  

For those qualifications which did use calculation, not all used CAGS and where they did, this was often at the level of modular units, so CAGS “did not weigh so heavily in arriving at the final result”.  

“That’s why we have seen little divergence between the results that schools and colleges thought learners would get, and the results that have been issued. We haven’t seen the same downward moderation of results following statistical standardisation,” the statement added. 

The statement also confirms that 0.5 per cent of BTEC grades given out by awarding body Pearson were adjusted down from the CAGs, after education secretary Gavin Williamson said it was two per cent and Pearson publicly corrected him. 

Ofqual also said it has been notified some students are receiving their results late, adding: “We are monitoring this very closely and can confirm that all the awarding organisations are working as fast as they can with schools and colleges to resolve the remaining issues so that learners are not being disadvantaged when it comes to applications to higher education.” 

This comes after Pearson said some BTEC results had suffered delays, and it was looking into it “urgently” to “provide any outstanding results as soon as we can”.  

Awaiting your BTEC and/or vocational results? 

If you are an individual or institution still waiting for your BTEC or any other vocational results, that you expected to receive on Thursday 13 August, contact FE Week. We’re keen to hear from individuals and institutions about your situation and the impact it has had. Email: news@feweek.co.uk 

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Ofqual’s full statement

These are extraordinary times for young people who have recently taken exams and we want to reassure learners who have taken vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) after yesterday’s decision to revert to centre assessment grades (CAGs) for GCSEs and A levels. Our priority has always been to ensure that no student is disadvantaged, that results issued this year are robust and reliable, and that as many students as possible get their results this summer.

It is vital that people understand that the statistical standardisation approach – the grading algorithm – used in A levels and GCSEs was not used in most VTQs, including BTECs.

VTQs are structured differently to A levels and GCSEs, and so the approach to awarding results has been different. Many VTQs were able to use evidence of work completed during the course and use this as a basis for calculating results. Indeed, for many qualifications, learners had taken adapted assessments and so there was no calculation process needed at all. For those qualifications that did use calculation, not all used CAGs. Where they did, it was often at unit level – so the CAGs did not weigh so heavily in arriving at the final result. 

That’s why we have seen little divergence between the results that schools and colleges thought learners would get, and the results that have been issued. We haven’t seen the same downward moderation of results following statistical standardisation.

In BTECs, for example, students complete modular units and are assessed at regular stages during their course of study. This summer, Pearson was able to use those banked unit grades and CAGs for units that hadn’t been completed – and all but a fraction of unit-level CAGs were accepted – after quality assurance checks – to generate the final overall qualification-level grade.

For the very small number of unit-level CAGs that were adjusted down (about 0.5%), Pearson will be reviewing those results with centres on a case-by-case basis, following the same principles as those announced for A levels.  

A small proportion of qualifications did use a statistical standardisation approach similar the one used for A levels, and those awarding organisations are reviewing their approach in light of what was been decided about GCSEs and A levels yesterday.  As a result, we are starting to see them re-running their awarding processes, to ensure that learners are not disadvantaged when compared to their peers taking GCSEs and A levels. We think that a small proportion of Level 3 VTQ results that were issued last week will be regraded upwards as a result.

There are a small proportion of results at Level 2 and below which are due for issue this Thursday that will need to be recalculated. It is possible that they may not be available until a few days later than expected and any awarding organisations in this position will provide information as soon as possible about when this will be.

The overwhelming majority of VTQ learners have now received the results they expected last week. Some awarding organisations did notify us of late results and we understand the anxiety this causes every single learner who is still waiting. We are monitoring this very closely and can confirm that all the awarding organisations are working as fast as they can with schools and colleges to resolve the remaining issues so that learners are not being disadvantaged when it comes to applications to higher education.

If learners have questions about vocational and technical qualifications, they should speak to their centre in the first instance, who may wish to contact the relevant awarding organisation. There is further information about the grading of vocational and technical qualifications on our website.

Exam board OCR has announced students who took its Cambridge Technicals and Cambridge Nationals qualifications will receive their centre-assessment grades following the government’s U-turn on allowing GCSE and A-level students to do the same. 

OCR had been following a standardisation process similar to what had been used to decide A-level and GCSE grades, asking teachers to provide centre-assessment grades (CAGs) and rank orders, which were then combined with evidence from units students had already taken. 

However, OCR has now said: “We’re now committed to making centre assessment grades the basis for Cambridge Technicals and Cambridge Nationals results.  

“Students taking Cambridge Technicals and Cambridge Nationals can now use centre assessment grades given by their teachers, or their final grade we calculated, if that is the higher grade. When we re-issue results, no student grades will be lower than those we originally issued. 

“We understand you will have questions about when and how we will give you these results and we’re working hard to give you answers to that. We will provide further updates as soon as possible.” 

Ofqual said this afternoon that awarding bodies were looking at using CAGs for their students, including Pearson with its BTEC learners.