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4 September 2026

The real exam crisis happened after the papers were sat

When marking systems break down, it is candidates who ultimately bear the greatest risk
A 'principled examiner' of GCSE English Language 2.0 (1EN2) papers Guest Contributor
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Every summer, hundreds of thousands of students leave examination rooms and halls believing that the hardest part is over. After months – often years – of preparation, revision and anxiety, they trust that the next stage of the process will be fair and carefully managed. They assume that their work will be marked by experienced professionals working under conditions that allow them to make accurate judgements.

This summer, that confidence in exams has been severely tested.

The issue has not been the quality of examiners. Across the examining community there remains an extraordinary level of professionalism and commitment. The problem has been the system surrounding them.

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