By Gavin Mackintosh-
Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, has apologised for the fiasco caused by the grading system initially awarded by Ofqual for this year’s A levels results, admitting that further action was necessary after close inspection of the situation over the weekend.
Students with various offers to attend university based on predicted grades had been left disappointed by the controversial system that had seen 40% of all exam reduced to avoid grade inflation.
Pupils from disadvantaged schools had been particularly hit by the moderation of marks, potentially ruining their future prospects.
“This has been an extraordinarily difficult year for young people who were unable to take their exams.There were fears the same system would affect the G.C.S.E results due this Thursday until it was announced that grades predicted by teachers would now stand.
“We worked with Ofqual to construct the fairest possible model, but it is clear that the process of allocating grades has resulted in more significant inconsistencies than can be resolved through an appeals process.
“We now believe it is better to offer young people and parents certainty by moving to teacher-assessed grades for both A and AS-level and GCSE results.
“I am sorry for the distress this has caused young people and their parents but hope this announcement will now provide the certainty and reassurance they deserve.”
He claimed the scale of the problem had only become clear over the weekend.
“As we looked in greater detail over Saturday and Sunday, it became evident that further action needed to be taken,” he said.
Mr Williamson did not say whether he retained confidence in Ofqual, but acknowledged the body had worked “incredibly hard” to ensure fairness.