Government announces U-turn on A Level and GCSE results - AoC responds

Responding to the announcement from Ofqual that both A Level and GCSE students will be given their teacher grades, Chief Executive, David Hughes said: "Many young people have had a torrid time since last Thursday, suffering all sorts of stress and worry. We therefore support this afternoon’s announcement to use Centre Assessed Grades/teacher grades because decisive and urgent action was needed, in the interests of thousands of students who found themselves at the bluntest end of the system. Moving to CAGs is a boost for those students and will allow them to progress in learning and into work. It will be a relief after days of anguish. At the same time, for students anticipating their GCSE results this Thursday it removes much of the anxiety and provides certainty.There were too many students being given grades below what they would probably have achieved, particularly for college students compared with their counterparts in independent schools. Because of that we urged Ofqual this morning to stop clinging onto a desire to minimise grade inflation as a way to maintain confidence in the qualifications system and make sure the grades were fair. CAGs helps us achieve that and is a small price to pay for after many students found themselves without a secure plan for the future. This is good for post-16 GCSE English and maths retake students whose prior achievements don’t give a good indication of their likely performance, as it means that the predictions of the teachers who know them best will stand.It is vital that information is provided speedily on how this decision will impact on higher education institutions, students wishing to apply through clearing and those who may have been rejected on their original grades. Colleges are looking forward to welcoming new and progressing students over the next few weeks and will continue to work with 16-year-olds to ensure all young people have a suitable place and that the transition to their next step is smooth and stress-free after a tough six months." You can read the full statement from Ofqual here.