Ofqual has said it’s sorry for creating a results system that caused “real anguish” as it’s confirmed pupils will now be awarded teacher grades.

As reported earlier, the government has confirmed that pupils will be awarded their centre assessment grades, as opposed to Ofqual’s calculated grades, in a major U-turn.

However pupils whose calculated grades are higher will be able to keep those results.

In a statement, Ofqual chair Roger Taylor said: “Our goal has always been to protect the trust that the public rightly has in educational qualifications.

“But we recognise that while the approach we adopted attempted to achieve these goals we also appreciate that it has also caused real anguish and damaged public confidence.

“Expecting schools to submit appeals where grades were incorrect placed a burden on teachers when they need to be preparing for the new term and has created uncertainty and anxiety for students. For all of that, we are extremely sorry.”

He said allowing CAGs would help “remove as much stress and uncertainty for young people as possible – and free up heads and teachers to work towards the important task of getting all schools open in two weeks”.

He added they plan to provide “urgent clarity” on the “path forward” and they are “working with the Department for Education, universities and everyone else affected by this issue”.

Statement from Roger Taylor, Chair, Ofqual in full:

We understand this has been a distressing time for students, who were awarded exam results last week for exams they never took. The pandemic has created circumstances no one could have ever imagined or wished for. We want to now take steps to remove as much stress and uncertainty for young people as possible – and to free up heads and teachers to work towards the important task of getting all schools open in two weeks.

After reflection, we have decided that the best way to do this is to award grades on the basis of what teachers submitted. The switch to centre assessment grades will apply to both AS and A levels and to the GCSE results which students will receive later this week.

There was no easy solution to the problem of awarding exam results when no exams have taken place. Ofqual was asked by the Secretary of State to develop a system for awarding calculated grades, which maintained standards and ensured that grades were awarded broadly in line with previous years. Our goal has always been to protect the trust that the public rightly has in educational qualifications.

But we recognise that while the approach we adopted attempted to achieve these goals we also appreciate that it has also caused real anguish and damaged public confidence. Expecting schools to submit appeals where grades were incorrect placed a burden on teachers when they need to be preparing for the new term and has created uncertainty and anxiety for students. For all of that, we are extremely sorry.

We have therefore decided that students be awarded their centre assessment for this summer – that is, the grade their school or college estimated was the grade they would most likely have achieved in their exam – or the moderated grade, whichever is higher.

The path forward we now plan to implement will provide urgent clarity. We are already working with the Department for Education, universities and everyone else affected by this issue.

Tens of thousands of students endured a nervous weekend wanting answers on how they can appeal against their calculated A-level results, after being downgraded.

FE Week has spoken with a number of students who have had dreams of university and careers in medicine, law and physics thrown into jeopardy after exam board standardisation pulled down the grades their colleges assessed them at. 

Students like Ilyas Khan, 19 from Richard Huish sixth form college (pictured with his dad Jameel), who was originally assessed as A C C by his centre – only to be slapped with a B D E.  

“I was really devastated,” he said a few hours after receiving his results. “It was such a drop, I didn’t think it was real.”  

It was only when the email came through from his first-choice university, York, saying he did not get a place that it confirmed the result was real. 

Ilyas had his heart set on studying physics, but says he was plunged into “complete disarray” by his results. 

He has said he will “definitely” be appealing against his result. 

But the Department for Education and exams regulator Ofqual have drawn heavy criticism after publishing guidance on the appeals process on Saturday, before withdrawing it hours later. 

The government has now confirmed it will allow students to use the grades given to them by their teachers before standardisation. 

Eleanor Shephard, 19, from Sutton Coldfield College, put her hopes in being able to use the A B A she received at AS level, after she was downgraded from A* A* A to B B B for her A-levels. 

On receiving the results, she said: “I just felt awful, I wasn’t expecting it all. I had much higher hopes and as soon as I opened it, I just broke down as it was way worse than I was expecting. 

She had been offered a place at the University of Warwick to do law, and the university has given her until September 7, to see if she can get three A grades. She hopes to either get those grades or that they’ll be able to accommodate her if she uses her AS levels. 

However, even if Eleanor does appeal, awarding bodies can still take up to 42 days to decide on it. 

“If things don’t get much better, this is definitely going to put my plans at risk. You need to go to a good university to do law. You can still do the course at different places but it will jeopardise your chances after your course of getting into firms. It’s definitely a risk.” 

Otylia Hazle, 17, and Laurence Gesman, 20, from Cirencester College were two other students who saw their university hopes cut down on Thursday morning. 

“Everyone has the worst-case scenario,” Otylia told FE Week. “And my worst case was much better than what I got.” 

Her worst-case scenario was A* B B, but she ended up with B B C after being predicted by her teachers to get A B B. 

She was “shocked” her teachers had predicted her at what she thinks was quite low, but said she was “heart-broken” by the final grades.  

“I didn’t realise how much it takes out of you but I was exhausted the entire day just because of the worry.” 

Of the government’s handling of the results, Otylia likened it to “someone had a reminder on their phone called ‘results day tomorrow’ and then tried to put something together”. 

She had been hoping to study law at Exeter, but said she would instead sit her exams. Yet that means reapplying and waiting to see if the university gives her another offer. 

Laurence needed three A’s to study medicine, but after looking at the algorithm decided he would get A A B – he ended up with A A C. 

“Shock and horror” was how he described his reaction. He recalled having to turn down chances at seeing friends and family to study and “wells up at the number of times I had to knuckle down and I got let down, in the end, by the government and an algorithm which, to me, is really flawed.” 

He has come up with options, including sitting the exam in the Autumn, and said: “I have to keep holding out hope. I want to be a doctor and it’s a lifelong dream, so if I can find any way of getting into medicine school, I will take it.” 

Ministers are set to announce this afternoon that both A-level and GCSEs students will be given their teacher grades in a major U-turn following this year’s results fiasco.

The expected announcement, reported by national newspaper journalists on Twitter, follows mounting pressure on the government over last week’s calculated grades that were mostly awarded based on Ofqual’s algorithm. Nearly 40 per cent of final grades were downgraded from centre assessment grades (CAGs).

Scotland had already U-turned to allow teacher grades, and this morning Northern Ireland announced it would do the same for GCSEs.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson had insisted on Saturday that there would be “no U-turn”. But the decision is set to be made after Ofqual chaotically pulled its guidance on appeals – leaving students that missed out on the grades needed to progress onto their next destination in further limbo.

It was reported the guidance was removed as Ofqual board members were split over instead just allowing centre assessment grades to be awarded.

Students took to the streets over the weekend to protest against this year’s calculated grades. The government was also facing multiple legal challenges.

But it appears Williamson will survive the fiasco. A spokesperson for prime minister said Boris Johnson had “full confidence” in the embattled education secretary.

The last campuses of the first colleges to go into administration have been taken over by a new provider, following multiple delays.

Hadlow College, its facility for people with learning difficulties Princess Christian Farm, its equestrian centre in Greenwich, and the Tonbridge campus of West Kent and Ashford College (WKAC) were transferred to North Kent College (NKC) on Saturday.

The transfer includes the 2,175 students at Hadlow and the 2,611 students at Tonbridge, as well as 630 staff, and will also cover students who are new for 2020/21.

NKC say a small number of staff involved with the commercial aspects of the Hadlow Group of businesses remain under the education administration, which is being run by BDO. A voluntary redundancy scheme is being run following requests for one by staff at Hadlow and Tonbridge.

The executive principal of NKC David Gleed said they have secured course provision for all current and new learners, which is the outcome “we have worked exceptionally hard to achieve”.

“The union will strengthen the breadth of our curriculum offer and our training provision across Kent and equip students with the skills and knowledge to prepare them for successful careers and further studies.

“We are looking forward to the future, the evolution of our extended portfolio and developing our robust and diverse vocational offer further.”

North Kent College, an Ofsted grade two FE college, has 3,665 students and has campuses in Dartford and Gravesend.

After Hadlow and WKAC were placed into administration in May and August respectively – becoming the first colleges to do so – the FE Commissioner recommended their assets be split between NKC, Capel Manor College – which took over Hadlow’s Mottingham campus in January – and EKC Group – which took over WKAC’s Ashford campus and Hadlow’s Canterbury facility in April.

However, the transfer of assets to NKC missed three deadlines in March, May and July amid reports the Education and Skills Funding Agency were growing concerned about BDO’s fees, which were agreed with the Department for Education at up to £310 per hour.

According to an adminstrator’s progress report for Hadlow College from earlier this month, administrator’s fees had already topped £1.4 million by May. A progress report for West Kent and Ashford College published in May showed fees there totalled half a million pounds up to February.

Hadlow College’s interim principal Graham Morley said the transfer to NKC has “successfully secured” those campuses’ futures as “valuable community assets” and “has preserved both colleges’ long-standing heritage and ensured that specialist land-based education remains within the Garden of England”.

He was appointed to lead Hadlow and WKAC after the colleges’ chairs, several governors, principal Paul Hannan and deputy principal Mark Lumsdon Taylor resigned.

Morley today said the transfer “also brings to a close my involvement with both colleges”.

Hadlow went into administration with £40 million in debts, while WKAC went in with over £100 million.

Any assets which have not been transferred are being sold to pay off creditors, Hadlow College said.

Either the education secretary, or the administrators with their permission, will now need to appeal to the High Court for permission to end the administration process.

Exams regulator Ofqual has cancelled a meeting with the Association of Colleges amid chaos and widespread anger over the awarding and appeals process for A-level and GCSE results. 

This morning’s meeting was called off while the independent watchdog and the Department for Education are fighting a wave of public anger after many students’ saw the grades awarded to them by their colleges, known as centre-assessed grades (CAGs), downgraded in the standardisation process used by exam boards to calculate final grades. 

This system was introduced after education secretary Gavin Williamson cancelled exams due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Yet the government is now facing calls, including from former education secretary Lord Baker and Commons education select committee chair Robert Halfon to change tactic after 40 per cent of teacher grades were downgraded in standardisation. 

Ahead of results day last Thursday, Williamson announced a ‘triple lock’ system for A-level students – where they could use the grades calculated by exam boards, their results from resitting their exams in Autumn, or appeal to receive a “valid” mock grade. 

However, students and parents affected by the results downgrading were thrown into further confusion and anxiety after Ofqual first published guidance on appealing to receive mock grades before taking down that guidance a matter of hours later. 

The Department for Education issued a statement late last night, saying: “We have been clear that we want to build as much fairness into the appeals process as possible to help young people in the most difficult cases and have been working with Ofqual to achieve that.” 

“Ofqual continues to consider how to best deliver the appeals process to give schools and pupils the clarity they need.” 

Halfon and Baker have suggested the release of GCSE results this Thursday be postponed while the algorithm exam boards have used to calculate results and the appeals process are fixed. 

The AoC has today called for no centre-assessed grades to be reduced by more than one grade, and for Williamson to admit there was “unwanted systemic bias in the approach to A-level grading and that this is an unacceptable outcome of an imperfect system in an exceptional year”. 

This is on top of an ‘urgent’ technical review of the grades awarded in every college and school where the results are “unfair,” which the association called for last week. 

The Sixth Form Colleges Association, which found in a survey of 81 sixth form college principals that 96 per cent said that overall their calculated grades were “lower than centre-assessed grades”, has called for the government to revert to centre-assessed grades. 

Ofqual adviser Professor Robert Coe has also said using CAGs like Scotland and Northern Ireland have may be the only way forward, telling BBC Radio 4 today the handling of A-level results has been an “an absolute shambles”. 

A number of legal challenges are also being mooted, including one by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, who tweeted that he has already spoken with lawyers after the government, he said, was “standing by their flawed system”. 

The exams regulator sensationally removed its guidance on mock exam appeals just hours after first publishing it – claiming the policy is now being “reviewed”.

On Saturday afternoon, Ofqual published the eight criteria that mock exam grades must meet to be deemed valid and used as part of appeals for downgraded pupils.

However the guidance has since been removed, with a statement issued at 10.50pm saying: “This policy is being reviewed by the Ofqual Board and further information will be published in due course.”

It’s not known why the policy has been pulled, but FE Week’s sister paper FE Week reported concerns from headteachers that the policy contradicted a promise by education secretary Gavin Williamson that students would be able to appeal to receive a valid mock grade.

Instead, Ofqual said where the mock exam grade is higher than a centre-assessed grade for successful appeals – pupils would instead be awarded their CAG. Heads said such a cap was unfair as it penalised pupils at schools that didn’t over-egg CAGs.

However the regulator said mock exams “do not normally cover the full range of content” while CAGs “took into account the student’s performance across the whole course”.

It was reported by The Daily Telegraph today that Ofqual’s board was split over the grading process, with several members wanting students to be awarded their centre-assessed grades.

In a statement released before the guidance was removed, the DfE said it was “pleased” Ofqual had set out how it will implement the “triple lock policy”.

They also said it was Ofqual’s decision that “in the rare circumstances where the centre-assessed grade is lower than the mock, it would be more appropriate for the student to instead receive the centre-assessed grade.”

In another statement released late last night, the department said: “We have been clear that we want to build as much fairness into the appeals process as possible to help young people in the most difficult cases and have been working with Ofqual to achieve that.”

“Ofqual continues to consider how to best deliver the appeals process to give schools and pupils the clarity they need.”

Ahead of the release of GCSE results on Thursday, several Conservative politicians, including the chair of the House of Commons education select committee Robert Halfon former education secretary Lord Baker, who oversaw the introduction of the qualifications, have suggested the release of results be postponed while the algorithm exam boards have used to calculate results and the appeals process are fixed.

The government is also facing legal action over the grading fiasco: last week, FE Week reported two legal challenges are in the early stages of being mounted. 

Law firm Foxglove said the A-level algorithm was “unfair and possible unlawful”, and that it was gathering evidence ahead of a potential judicial review.

Student Curtis Parfitt-Ford, whose petition calling for a fairer system has amassed over 135,000 signatures as of this morning.

And Jolyon Maugham, director of the Good Law Project, has announced that his organisation was mounting a legal challenge to “compliment” the one brought by Foxglove.

The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has also said he will be taking legal advice this morning and has already spoken with lawyers, after he accused the government of “digging in” and “standing by their flawed system”.

The now removed Ofqual press release in full:

The arrangements in place this summer are the fairest possible in the absence of exams, however any process for calculating grades will inevitably produce some results which need to be queried. We and the exam boards share the government’s desire to do all we can to give schools and colleges every opportunity to appeal

On Tuesday (11 August) the Secretary of State asked us to consider how a valid mock exam result could be considered as part of an appeal. As many across education have confirmed, the approach taken towards mock assessments varies considerably between schools and colleges. Therefore any appeal based on mock assessment evidence must include further safeguards to ensure the process is fair.

We are setting out today, Saturday 15 August, the criteria determining what is a valid mock assessment. Exam boards have confirmed they will be ready to process these appeals from Monday – they will provide further information to their centres and contact details are below. Students seeking advice should first speak to their school or college.

This route of appeal is open to any student whose mock grade is higher than their calculated grade. We want to make sure this opportunity is available to a wide range of students, including those who had not taken a written mock exam before schools and colleges closed. We will therefore allow a non-exam assessment mark to be used too. Successful appeals on this ground will allow the student to receive the mock grade. Mock exams and non-exam assessments do not normally cover the full range of content. Centre assessment grades took into account the student’s performance across the whole course. In circumstances where the centre assessment grade was lower than the mock grade, the student will receive the centre assessment grade.

Because of the grade protection in place for students this summer no grades will go down as a result of an appeal.

This applies to GCSE, AS, A level, Extended Project Qualification and Advanced Extension Award in maths.

An Ofqual adviser has broken ranks to brand the handling of this year’s results as an “absolute shambles”, suggesting the only solution to quell the growing outrage may be to award pupils their teacher grades.

Professor Rob Coe, who sits on the regulator’s standards advisory committee, told the Radio 4 Today programme the awarding of calculated grades has been a “tragedy and travesty” for young people.

While he said Ofqual was in a “completely no-win situation” and pointed out that results days every year lead to disappointment for some pupils, he said: “It’s definitely been amplified this year.”

He admitted there “isn’t a great way out”, but concluded following Scotland and now Northern Ireland by awarding pupils their centre assessment grade may be the only way forward “given the mess we’re in”.

“The big downside of just going with teacher assessed grades is the problem of grade inflation, that’s a problem because too many people would qualify for university, or further destinations at GCSE.

“That seems like a relatively minor problem compared with the amount of outrage that’s out there and the political momentum that this whole thing is taking on, particularly if the cap is lifted on university places.”

However, he said that “much less applies in the case of post-16 destinations… [which] are more elastic and can expand to take more students.”

The Telegraph reported today that the Ofqual’s own board is split on whether to ditch its own algorithm and just award pupils their CAGs.

It comes after the regulator sparked further outrage on Saturday by removing its own appeals guidance just hours after publishing it. The guidance still remains under review, but the regulator has been slammed for secrecy around what’s going on – with downgraded pupils desperate to know whether they can challenge their grades.

Education select committee chairman Robert Halfon told Talk Radio that Ofqual “needs to stop behaving like cardinals at the Vatican, shrouded in secrecy, and actually come out and communicate… What on Earth has gone on in that organisation?”

Cabinet Office minister Penny Mordaunt this morning tweeted that, after students “lost out on so much this year”: “We must ensure that bright, capable students can progress on their next step. Delaying a year won’t be an option, and it shouldn’t be an option. For many it will mean falling out of education.”

Coe also added: “People in schools are just tearing their hair out at their inability to support students who have had their lives wrecked and they don’t know what the process is because we haven’t had that guidance published. The whole thing is an absolute shambles.”

Northern Ireland has this morning announced it will award GCSEs based on teacher grades, with sector leaders calling on the English government to follow suit.

Dr Simon Hyde, the incoming Headmasters’ and Headmistress’ Conference general secretary, said awarding CAGs is the “only way now to stop this intolerable strain on students and teachers”.

He added: “Whilst we accept that the unavoidable outcome is grade inflation, we believe this is the less bad option when tens of thousands of students are facing unfair grades, thousands of schools are facing an as yet undeveloped appeals process and most of us need to concentrate our energy on supporting the Prime Minister’s desire to reopen our schools in a few weeks’ time.”

But Coe, who advises Ofqual on how to maintain standards of qualifications, also warned that awarding CAGs would result in “issues with comparability, and the next year is the one where that really bites… it does have implications, it’s not a cost-free solution”.

Other issues highlighted with awarding CAGs are that it could be unfair to pupils who attended schools that were more cautious in awarding grades– rather than schools that over-egged their predictions.

It would also cause a headache for universities, many of whom have already filled their places for next year. Although Coe has suggested that lifting the cap on university places – and allowing them to take in more pupils – could help solve the issue.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson has reportedly refused to answer questions on exams from reporters outside his home this weekend.

But he told the Times on Saturday that there would be “no U-turn” on the grading system as it would lead to grade inflation.

The government will cover fees for failed appeals against exam grades following a huge backlash over A-level results.

The Department for Education, in a press release published today, said that state-funded schools and colleges will be able to claim back unsuccessful appeals at the same time as claiming back fees for autumn exams.

Successful appeals claims will remain free.

The Times reported yesterday that the government expects the cost of appeal fees for both GCSEs and A-levels to be between £8 million and £15 million. 

Ministers had been warned that the threat of appeal fees, which are charged if appeals are unsuccessful or if they are made because of a school’s error, could put some cash-strapped schools off appealing, even if they had genuine grounds.

It also comes after sister title FE Week revealed earlier this week that all four exam boards had decided to continue to charge fees for unsuccessful appeals this year, despite calls for them to be waived.

The government is bracing for a second major upset over GCSE results, due out next Thursday. According to the Guardian, between 35 and 40 per cent of GCSE grades are expected to be downgraded, a similar figure to the proportion of A-level grades lowered during standardisation.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson, who has faced calls to resign over the A-levels fiasco, told the Times he expected the number of appeals this year to be much higher, and said it was “vital” that schools act if concerned about results.

“I do not want a youngster to feel they are in a situation where there is a strong and legitimate case for grounds for appeal, but an appeal is not made on grounds of cost. That would be a real, shocking injustice.”

Last year, there were 1,254 appeals against GCSE and A-level grades, of which 683 were upheld.

FE Week revealed earlier this week that initial appeals would range in cost from £8.47 to £25, with some exam boards capping charges for groups of pupils. Appeals under “exceptional circumstances” would cost up to £120, and the second stage, an independent review, would cost between £111.75 and £150.

Ofqual confirmed last week that as well as appealing on the grounds of errors made by themselves or by exam boards, schools will be able to appeal if they feel data used to standardise grades was not a “reliable basis”, and if they were expecting results this year to “show a very different pattern of grades to results in previous years”.

And in a last-ditch attempt to placate students ahead of A-level results day, the government announced on Tuesday night that it would it would allow appeals on the basis of higher “valid mock grades”.

But Ofqual is yet to provide full guidance on the new grounds for appeal, and is not expected to do so until the beginning of next week.

Schools minister Nick Gibb will also oversee ‘gold command’ taskforce to oversee the A-level exams appeals process. It will include representatives from Ofqual and exam boards and “meet daily between now and September 7 to ensure appeals are processed quickly and young people can move on to university, college or the world of work”.

In a press released issued today by the DfE, Williamson added: “I know that alongside the success of so many young people, there have been some difficult cases. I have said repeatedly that my absolute priority is fairness for students, and I do not want anything holding them back from achieving the grades they deserve.

“So all result appeals for state funded schools and colleges will be free, helping to make sure every single student has the best possible chance of securing the grades they need in order to take their next step.”

Mock exams must meet eight separate criteria to be classed as ‘valid’ and used as part of an appeal for downgraded pupils – but graded non-examination assessments can also be used, Ofqual has confirmed.

Ofqual has revealed the criteria that mock exam grades must meet for schools to be able to use them as part of an appeal (see full list below).

It includes mocks that were taken under timed conditions, were supervised and marked using a marking scheme provided by an exam board. All the criteria must be met.

However schools will be allowed to use marked non-examination assessments as part of the mock exam appeal route. Ofqual said this appeal route was available to a “wide range of students, including those who had not taken a written mock exam before schools and colleges closed”.

Exam boards will be “ready to process” appeals from Monday. The appeal route is open to any student whose mock grade is higher than their calculated grade.

In circumstances where the centre assessment grade was lower than the mock grade, the student will receive the centre assessment grade.

Because of the grade protection in place for students this summer no grades will go down as a result of an appeal, Ofqual added.

The route applies to GCSE, AS, A level, Extended Project Qualification and Advanced Extension Award in maths.

Centres will need to complete and send to the exam board a “simple form” to confirm each of the criteria has been met, provide the mock exam grade and a signed declaration from the head of centre.

Criteria	Requirement
1. Assessment conditions	Supervised, unseen and undertaken in conditions that were intended to secure that work was the student’s own. These include: – appropriate invigilation – no access to materials or resources that would not be permitted in exams – no possibility of corrections or revisions Non examination assessment, where applicable, must have been undertaken in the conditions required by the exam board. For private candidates only, mocks undertaken with a private tutor may be used where they were validated by the relevant centre as part of the student’s centre assessment grade submission.
2. Form of assessment	Either past assessment(s) produced by the relevant exam board OR assessments developed by teachers to align to exam past assessments e.g. in the curriculum sampled and style of questions. Marked non examination assessment can be used instead or in addition to mock examination results.
3. Specification coverage	Substantial coverage of the content normally assessed, for example assessment equivalent to one paper or one non examination assessment task.
4. Duration of assessment	Taken under timed conditions that align to those in the normal assessment (with suitable adjustments for those students eligible for extra time).
5. Assessment window	Completed within the programme of study, by 20 March 2020 (when schools and colleges were mainly closed). For private candidates only, mocks undertaken later than this date to provide evidence for the centre assessment grade may be used.
6. Marking	Marked using a mark scheme provided by the relevant exam board, or aligned with the exam board’s mark schemes. Marked no later than the date of centre assessment grade submission.
7. Final grade	Was graded in line with the exam board’s examination standard – for example, where a single past paper has been used applying exam board grade boundaries.
8. Evidence	The following evidence is available for the whole subject cohort if required for inspection: – evidence of the mark given and that marking was carried out by the deadline – the paper and the mark scheme Student scripts do not need to have been retained.