Consultation on the way which grades will be allocated in 2021

The Department for Education and Ofqual have now launched their consultation on proposals for their system of grade allocation in 2021. The outcome of the consultation will affect the way which GCSE grades are assigned to students in England. As well as needing the views of school leaders and other school staff they also want to understand the views of students and their parents/carers.

The full consultation document can be accessed via the link below:

DfE Consultation 2021

Consultation on how GCSE, AS and A level grades should be awarded in summer 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Once you have read through their proposals you can respond by completing the survey found here:

Survey of responses

Consultation on how GCSE, AS and A level grades should be awarded in summer 2021 (smartsurvey.co.uk)

Please be aware that the proposal document runs to 46 pages and that the survey contains 70 questions, providing your views is therefore something of a commitment but it is vital that Ofqual hear the voices of our students and their parents/carers.

For those of you who do not wish to read the whole proposal here are the main elements which are being put forward:

• That teacher assessment be used to assign the grades to students rather than an algorithm
• That the GCSE and A Level courses continue until late May or early June and that the assessments are only submitted at the end of the courses
• That the results day be brought forward to mid-July in order that there is time for appeals before students have to accept places in Further or Higher Education
• That schools be barred from revealing the submitted grades to students until they are officially released by exam boards in July
• That ‘Non Exam Assessments’ (NEAs) are completed in subjects where these are used and that these form part of the teachers’ assessments
• That the exam boards provide additional assessment materials to teachers to support their judgements and that these assessments are sat by students in schools (where possible) and then marked by teachers
• That schools provide details of their internal moderation of grades and that the exam boards provide a system of external moderation to quality assure the processes used by schools
• That all students have a right to appeal to their schools if they feel that the grades awarded do not correctly reflect the quality of their work, and that there is a system of further appeal to the exam boards if a student believes that the school did not investigate their initial appeal properly

The consultation finishes on 29th January 2021 so we will expect the final system to become clear after that time.

 GCSE courses continue as normal and staff will continue to use assessments as part of their normal teaching. Students should focus on their learning and need not concern themselves with the final model of assessment at this stage.

Once the system is decided upon, we will provide plenty of support for students in order that they can complete the courses, prepare for any formal assessments and achieve grades they deserve.

If you have any questions regarding the proposals, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you as always for you continued patience and support.

Take care, stay safe.