By Sheila Mckenzie-
The Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield,(pictured) says the algorithm used to determine this year’s A-Level and GCSE results in England is “irredeemably flawed”.
Her comments come in the wake of nation wide anger from students and teachers across the country after many got lower grades than submitted by their teachers after exams were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
MPs are pushing for a dramatic u-turn about the situation which saw a staggering 39 per cent of A levels results downgraded by a computer algorithm last week.
Many fear a similar outcome when GCSE pupils receive their results this Thursday unless the entire system is addressed.
Ms Longfield said: ‘It is not in children’s interests for weeks of appeals and arguments among adults to continue. Nor is it in the interest of schools, which should be focusing on their final preparations for reopening safely to’ all students in September.
Having looked at the evidence, it seems clear to me that GCSE results this year should be based on centre assessment grades – not the algorithm developed by Ofqual. Pupils will have another two years in school or training to correct any perceived anomalies.
Longfield said if switching to teacher-assessed grades results in more students going to universities “then so be it”. “Ministers will just have to expand the number of places,” she said, adding:
”This is surely better than the risk of throwing a generation’s life chances away, by thrusting students who didn’t get the required grades into the worst jobs market of their lives.
It is notable that other countries in Europe have managed to find better, more creative and fairer ways than the UK of replacing or managing final school examinations during Covid-19. In due course, I hope the Government and Ofqual will consider the injustices that occur when the efforts, talents and dreams of children are considered to be reducible to the output from a statistical model”.
An announcement around 4 pm is expected, with many hoping the government will announce a decision to stick with the original plan and use centre assessment grades in determining final grades.