By Sheila Mckenzie-
The professional body representing sixth forms in the Uk have called condemned as ”flawed” and ”unreliable”, A level grades for its students this year.
The association comprising a network of sixth form providers called for action after the vast majority of principals reported lower-than-expected A-level grades following this year’s moderation process.
The Sixth Form Colleges Association have expressed concern that its members have been severely impacted by problems with the system this year brought in as a substitute to the usual exam process. Almost half of principals reported that overall, their calculated grades were “much lower” than what they had submitted to exam boards.
In a disturbing finding, 96% of the sixth form college principals surveyed reported that overall, the actual grades students will receive today were lower or much lower than the grades predicted by teachers Some reported that two-thirds of their results had been downgraded.
Over a third of principals (34%) also indicated that their overall exam results for this year were below, and in some cases dramatically below, their historic exam performance
Students across England will receive their A-level results today, calculated on centre-assessment grades standardised by exam boards. Schools and colleges received the results yesterday. A levels are the more advanced examinations a jump higher than G.C.S.E exams, studied over a two year period.
The government had already revealed ahead of results day that around 40 per cent of A-level grades have been amended during the standardisation process, but that overall results will be slightly higher this year than last year.
The survey of 81 sixth form college principals produced very disappointing feedback which could pressure the Department Of Education and Ofqual to reassess aspects of its method used this year.
Most principals said that overall their calculated grades were “lower than centre-assessed grades”, and more than a third reported that calculated grades bear “little or no resemblance” to performance in previous years
The revelation comes after Ofqual confirmed that more weight had been placed on centre judgements for institutions with lower entries “overall, or in particular subjects”, prompting fears that larger settings like sixth form colleges would be worse affected than smaller school sixth forms.
“The government must address this as a matter of urgency and we will do everything we can to ensure that students are not penalised as result of what has turned out to be a failed experiment,” he said.
One principal who participated in the survey said he was: “lost for words as to this outcome and devastated for our staff and students.”
Another said: “We would appear to be below our historic data both at centre- and in some cases subject-level and making this year’s set of results the college’s worst results in the last 15 years,” another respondent said.
Valid Grade
Dissatisfied students would be able appeal to receive a “valid” grade from a mock exam that turns out to be higher than the grade provided by exam boards, the Department Of Education has confirmed.
The SFCA survey also discovered that just 56 per cent of respondents used mock exams for all their subjects during 2019-20. Many more mock exams were cancelled due the pandemic.
Flawed And Unreliable
Commenting on the survey findings, Bill Watkin, Chief Executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association said:
“Our survey suggests that the government’s model for calculating this year’s A level grades is flawed and unreliable. A fundamental objective of the process was to ensure year-on-year comparability in exam results – the very clear evidence from our members is that the standardisation model has utterly failed to achieve this.
While the national picture is likely to show no significant overall change in grades awarded this year, this average figure masks huge variations.
Our members, who between them deliver a quarter of the A levels sat in England each year, have experienced inexplicable variations. The only way the government can rescue this situation, and ensure that thousands of students are not disadvantaged, is to base results entirely on centre assessed grades – the predictions made by teachers. This is the only alternative to what has proved to be a failed experiment by the government to develop a fair process of standardisation”.