By Gavin Mackintosh-
Schools minister Nick Gibb(pictured) and Ofqual interim chief regulator Simon Lebus are set to be questioned by MPs over the 2021 GCSE and A level results outcomes, as well as the plans for grading next year.
Mr Lebus and Mr Gibb will face questions from the Commons’ education select committee next month about what lessons have been learned from the past academic year.
It comes after serious concerns about grade inflation have been voiced, after more than two in five – 44.3 per cent – of 2021 A level grades awarded to 18-year-olds were an A or A*, compared with 25.5 per cent in 2019, the last year formal public exams were held.
The disparity between private and state school performance in the 2021 results, and the lack of support for pupils with special educational needs or disabilities or for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, also ranks high on the list of concerns expected to be discussed at the September hearing.
The committee announced today that Gibb will appear alongside Ofqual’s interim chief regulator Simon Lebus and interim chair Ian Bauckham.
Lebus is in the process of handing over the reins to Jo Saxton, who was chosen earlier this year as the next permanent chief regulator. Saxton was formerly chief adviser to education Secretary, Gavin Williamson.
Under Scrutiny: Simon Lebus Image;cambridgeassessment.com
Following the cancellation of formal exams and a move to teacher assessment, the proportion of top grades issued increased to 30 % at GCSE, and 44% at A-level. The increase poses problems for top universities with limited place, who will not be able to differentiate between students awarded the many top grades awarded this year.
Attainment Gaps
Widening inequalities in results between those from rich and poor backgrounds have also raised concerns.
Ofqual analysis showed wide attainment gaps widening for both black and poorer students, while GCSE results also saw disadvantaged pupils fall further behind.
The committee will ask panelists about lessons learned from the 2020-21 academic year, and about the government’s plans for exams in 2022.
Ministers have said these will go ahead, but with some adjustments in an attempt to address concerns about missed schooling.
Committee chair Robert Halfon, said: “Students, along with their hardworking teachers and support staff, deserve to be congratulated on some outstanding results after overcoming all the challenges posed in this most difficult of years.
“Ofqual and the DfE must now focus on ensuring all young people, particularly those that have missed out the most on learning during the pandemic, are properly supported in taking exams next summer.
“There also needs to be a proper plan for returning to more normal grading standards to reverse the grade inflation that has been baked into the s
The committee is also set to inquire about set plans for assessment in summer 2022. The questioning could be tough for all those concerned to address in advance, but the big players in the education scene will be expected to have contingency plans in place against the possibility of another pandemic, which scientists of doom have already predicting in advance.
Grade inflation caused by teacher assessments gives an inaccurate picture of pupils ability, still many observers say it is the best system possible under the circumstances of a pandemic. They say teachers should be a fairly reliable judge of the abilities of their pupils.
Critics insist the real practical test of exams and all the pressure that comes with it, would separate many hundreds of students who are sharing the same broad bracket of top grades.