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. 

The government’s statistics watchdog is to launch a review into how Ofqual’s controversial results algorithm was developed.

The review will look at statistical models used for exam grading to “highlight learning from the challenges faced through these unprecedented circumstances”.

It will not look at the implications of the model on individual results, or take a view on the way to award grades in the absence of exams.

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), which is the regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority watchdog, will lead the review.

Ed Humpherson, director general for regulation at the OSR, said: “Our review will consider the extent to which the organisations developing the models complied with the principles set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics.”

The findings are due to be published in September.

Humpherson, in a letter published today, added: “There are many areas of the approach to awarding exam grades this year that may warrant review and it is likely that other organisations will commission or carry out reviews.

“We are conscious that too many reviews could be unhelpful and will seek to minimise overlap between our review and others. We will try to minimise the burden of our review on organisations involved in awarding exam grades and will contribute our findings to other relevant reviews where appropriate.”

The intervention followed a plea from the Royal Statistical Society for action.

Sharon Witherspoon, RSS’s vice-president for education and statistical literacy, said: “The lack of transparency around the process has not only caused significant distress for thousands of students, it has threatened to undermine public trust in statistics and their use.

“It is therefore right that the Office for Statistics Regulation looks into these issues to ensure this does not happen again.”

The school and college leaders’ union had earlier today called for an independent inquiry into the fiasco, where 40 per cent of A-level grades were marked down. The government made a major U-turn yesterday – allowing pupils to be awarded their centre assessed grades.

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 you situation and the impact it has had. Email: news@feweek.co.uk

 

The awarding body for BTECs has corrected education secretary Gavin Williamson after he said two per cent of results for the vocational qualification were moderated down. 

Williamson, who is already under fire after U-turning on allowing GCSE, A-level and vocational students to use centre-assessed grades, told BBC Breakfast this morning: “Two per cent of results of BTEC were moderated down from the teacher assessment.” 

Yet Pearson, which has been moderating BTEC results submitted by colleges, has said the two per cent figures refers to results which were moderated upwards or downwards, and only 0.5 per cent were downgraded – meaning three times as many results were upgraded as downgraded. 

“We can confirm we have accepted the overwhelming majority of level 3 submitted grades and that where adjustments were made, this was on the basis of strong statistical evidence both upwards and downwards,” a spokesperson said. 

Exam regulator Ofqual is currently working on allowing BTEC learners to use centre-assessed grades for their final results, after it was announced yesterday A-level and GCSE students could use those instead of their calculated grades.

But there are increasing concerns a small number of learners are yet to receive their results, with Pearson saying the delay has been down to some colleges and schools submitting student information after their deadlines. 

This year, colleges were asked to submit all grades to Pearson for internal assessment, as well as any grades for units which had not been completed, which were accepted “with very little change”.  

These grades formed part of the evidence, along with the previously completed assessments, to award final results to learners after assessments were cancelled due to COVID-19. 

The awarding body said centres’ missing deadlines was “understandable” given the pressures and workload schools and colleges have faced from dealing with the new system for deciding results, and they “understand the frustration this must have caused” learners. 

“We are working closely with the students and colleges involved to look into this urgently,” the spokesperson continued, “and provide any outstanding results as soon as we can”. 

The universities admission service UCAS has indicated that, where applicable, university places for affected learners will be held until the university receives their result. Pearson has said it will contact universities or UCAS for students if necessary. 

Anyone who has been impacted has been asked to send a direct message on Twitter to the @BTECstudents or @Edexcelstudents account. 

The Department for Education was approached for comment.

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 you situation and the impact it has had. Email: news@feweek.co.uk

A college leaders’ union has amped up the pressure on government, calling for an independent inquiry into this year’s exam results fiasco.

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) general secretary Geoff Barton said there was an “urgent” need to “rapidly establish exactly what went wrong with the process for awarding grades to A-level and GCSE students this summer, and to publish its findings and recommendations”.

The union will be writing to education secretary Gavin Williamson after previously calling for a government review into the system used to award A-level, GCSE and vocational qualifications.

After exams were cancelled due to COVID-19, results were decided by teachers assigning grades to their students, known as centre-assessed grades, ranking the students who received each grade, and then submitting those to the exam boards for moderation.

This system led to 40 per cent of A-level grades, released last Thursday, being reduced, depriving students of university places and causing a wave of public anger.

Yesterday, the Department for Education U-turned on its original decision, saying students could use the centre-assessed grades.

The degree of transparency an independent review would provide would be “necessary at a time when public confidence has been badly shaken,” Barton said, referring to the “flawed” statistical model for moderating centre-assessed grades, which he said “produced many anomalous results”.

He said the most important lesson from the review would be: “What lessons can we learn for the future?

“While the government plans for students to sit GCSEs and A-levels next summer, there is currently no Plan B if there is widespread disruption because of coronavirus.

“The government and Ofqual should be putting in place a robust contingency plan, drawing on the lessons from this summer’s debacle.”

The Association of Colleges has also written to Williamson and Ofqual chief regulator calling for an “urgent” review of the system used to decide results this year, saying some colleges with larger numbers of A-level students have been “biased” against by the process. 

Leading labour market economists are being offered £1,000 a day by the Department for Education to join its new skills and productivity board. 

Five vacancies for three-year terms are being advertised for, with an expectation members will commit for 29 days a year, including 12 board meetings. 

The board, the advertisement reads, “will undertake expert analysis of which skills and training add the most value to the economy and give the best earnings for learners,” using both technical analysis of data sources such as earnings, as well as stakeholder interviews, policy reviews, and academic research. The board will also make policy recommendations. 

Their evidence will help the government to identify the training which “best equips young people for work in the future” and will be used by education ministers to inform policy decisions which will “help the system to deliver more of the most valuable skills”.

A Department for Education spokesperson said the board will offer “independent analysis on skills mismatches and identify new and emerging skills needs”.

“In the context of  COVID-19, the board will make a vital contribution to addressing the challenges facing the labour market and providing the skills most needed to promote the economic recovery.”

The panel will be chaired by a business leader appointed by the education secretary who will also set out the board’s direction and work plan. The department said they hoped to announce the chair soon.

Williamson first announced the board in a Guardian article last September, saying: “It’s wrong if we are in a situation where we are selling people courses that aren’t going to lead them into employment. The whole purpose of this is to drive up the level and type of courses that people are taking.” 

“The reason I am setting up a skills and productivity board is to focus on what the economy needs and how I can best spend money to equip people with those skills, so we are providing the employers of Britain with the people they need for the modern economy.” 

The board will also receive information from Skills Advisory Panels, groups of employers, providers and local authorities based in each mayoral authority and local enterprise authority, which were handed £75,000 each earlier this year to produce action plans and reports highlighting how they have supported local providers and employers to address local skills priorities. 

Applicants for the board, the advertisement says, must have evidence of peer-reviewed, published research demonstrating expertise in labour market or skills economics, credibility and status within a peer-reviewed research community, as well as evidence the ability to use quantitative and qualitative research and analysis methods and to both produce complex and technical research findings and communicate them to a non-expert audience. 

They have until 6 September to apply, with interviews expected to take place during the weeks commencing 14 and 28 September. 

The Department for Education has been approached for comment on whether it will advertise for a chair for the board separately, and what their terms and conditions will be. 

UPDATE: Pearson has now said only 0.5 per cent of BTEC results have been downgraded

Two per cent of BTEC results were downgraded from the teacher-assessed grades, the education secretary said this morning. 

Gavin Williamson told the BBC Breakfast programme the BTEC awarding body Pearson are going to be reviewing all of those grades, and the Department for Education was working with the company to ensure no further delay with the release of BTEC results. 

“We will expect there to be a consistency across the board,” the embattled minister said, after he U-turned yesterday on allowing A-level and GCSE to use the grades awarded to them by their colleges if it is higher than the grades calculated for them by exam boards.

A few hours after that announcement was made, Williamson confirmed to journalists the government was looking at how BTEC learners could also use their centre-assessed grades. 

It was revealed last week that 40 per cent of A-level grades were downgraded from their centre-assessed grades, leading to an outcry from students who had lost university places due to their calculated grades and to England following Scotland and Northern Ireland in allowing students to use grades awarded by teachers. 

Asked why there was a delay in allowing BTEC learners to use centre-assessed grades, Williamson said “We are working with Pearson to make sure that there isn’t any further delay,” but there were not the same issues with making the allowance for BTECs as there were with A-levels.

After it was announced BTEC learners could use their centre-assessed grades, Pearson told FE Week BTECs are structured “very differently” to A-levels, comprising modular units and regular assessments. 

This year, colleges were asked to submit all grades to Pearson for internal assessment, as well as any grades for units which had not been completed, which were accepted “with very little change”. 

These grades formed part of the evidence, along with the previously completed assessments, to award final results to learners. 

And for the “very small number of grades” that were adjusted, Pearson said they will be reviewing them “on a case by case basis”. 

The awarding body was approached for a response to Williamson’s comments.

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 you situation and the impact it has had. Email: news@feweek.co.uk

Education secretary Gavin Williamson has suggested he first got proper sight of Ofqual’s controversial algorithm – and the troublesome results awarded this year – when they were published publicly.

When challenged over claims he only spotted concerns with the system this weekend, Williamson said the department “consistently” asked Ofqual a “large number of challenging questions” as to whether it was fair and robust, adding “we’ve been constantly reassured about that”.

He added: “Over the weekend… Ofqual released some of the algorithm, and actually shared that quite broadly, and obviously we saw a number of outliers, that just didn’t actually make sense.

“Now, as you’ll know … actually we don’t get any of the detailed data before schools. When we started to see some of these quite concerning outliers – this is where we’re sort of asking questions.

“And when the algorithm came out, not just in terms of concerns raised by Ofqual, but also concerns raised by other external experts in terms of how that has had an impact on certain young people’s grades.

“And that’s why I felt that action had to be taken. And that’s why I always say the key thing is always about doing the right thing for students.

“Having raised these concerns, we’ve obviously always been raising concerns, all the way through this but when we felt that we had this extra data we realised that we had to make sure that we act.”

Some will interpret the comments as Williamson attempting to deflect blame to the regulator Ofqual, and question why he did not see crucial details about the results or algorithm before they were published.

Williamson himself was also the person who instructed Ofqual that the grading system should not allow inflation in results.

In an official direction issued to the independent exams regulator earlier this year, Williamson said Ofqual should “ensure, as far as is possible, that qualification standards are maintained and the distribution of grades follows a similar profile to that in previous years”.

When asked if he will resign, Williamson said he is focused on getting young people “the grades they deserve” and “determined” to make sure they’ve fixed this and “that is what we have done”.

The education secretary insisted on both Tuesday and Saturday last week there would be “no U-turn”. When asked if he regretted that, he said: “When we saw quite clearly the evidence that was being presented to us, on behalf, not just Ofqual, but also external experts on this field, it became apparent and clear to me that there were in justices within the system, and I think it is my job to make sure that that’s put right and that’s what I’ve done today.”

He also admitted his “triple lock” appeal promise has been ditched. While there will be an appeals process based on errors in grades, the ability to challenge on a mock grade is no longer.

When asked if Sally Collier, Ofqual chief regulator, should resign, he said she was a “dedicated” public official and the DfE and Ofqual “are focused on key aspects of making sure we get youngsters with grades they deserve”.

Williamson also said he’s working on including BTECs in the grading U-turn.