By Gabriel Princewill-
Ofqual has been asked to reveal the numbers of pupils appealing GCSE and A-level grades this summer.
Calls for greater transparency from Ofqual are intensifying , after the board declined to reveal the latest figures relating to appeals to this summer’s GCSE and A-level grades, following the fiasco that initially took place before it was rectified.
The closing date for A-level autumn entries expired on Friday for those who want another crack at the exams to improve their grades. Ofqual has declined to respond to a request by the Times Education Supplement (TES) to reveal how many students will be sitting the exams. Access to such information by the media is expected to be a given, but researchers from the educational organisation have been denied access to the figures.
The refusal raises questions that the exam regulator may be trying to avoid public discourse on the issue. There are several potential reasons some students may want to appeal their grades, but disagreement with the eventual centre assessment grades is not admissible.
Journalistic Inquiry
Journalistic inquiry into any segment of events following the initial debacle associated with the A levels results is legitimate.Both the media and the public deserve to know how many disappointed pupils are appealing their grades, and what grounds have generally been presented for appeals.
Withholding useful information in the public interest serves to undermine the fundamental rights of a free press.
The chair of an influential Parliamentary committee has called on the exams watchdog to be more open about the figures.
Robert Halfon, chair of the Commons’ Education Select Committee, said: “One of the significant problems in the exams controversy has been the transparency in communication from Ofqual, and we need to know exactly how many students are doing autumn exams, how many students are appealing, and other questions that are raised by people in the media.
“Not just because of the need for openness, but also because it can inform decision-making and we can understand how much support is going to be needed for those students who for example may be doing autumn exams.
“It’s absolutely vital that we find out that information, and as a committee, we’ll be asking further questions to Ofqual about these matters.
An Ofqual spokesperson said: “Entries to the autumn series and appeals in respect of the summer results continue to be made to the exam boards.
“We will publish details of entry data as official statistics later in the autumn, and details of appeal numbers and outcomes after that.
“We expect the number of students entering in the autumn series to be far lower than in the summer, but details will be made available later in the year. The number of appeals each year is generally low, and we are expecting much the same situation to prevail this year.