Select committee: Education Committee
Conclusion 9
First Report - Getting the grades they’ve earned: Covid-19: the cancellation of exams and ‘calculated’ grades
Published 11 Jul 2020
Paragraph 41
Addressed to Department for Education
Education Committee The impact of COVID-19 on education and children’s services All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
We are extremely concerned that pupils will require evidence of bias or discrimination to raise a complaint about their grades. It is unrealistic and unfair to put the onus 20 Getting the grades they’ve earned on pupils to have, or to be able to gather, evidence of bias or discrimination. Such a system also favours more affluent pupils and families with resources and knowledge of the system.
From: Education Committee, First Report - Getting the grades they’ve earned: Covid-19: the cancellation of exams and ‘calculated’ grades (HC 617), paragraph 41, 11 July 2020
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 24 September 2020 (deadline 11 September 2020).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government welcomes the Committee's report and responds only to the recommendations still relevant and within the department's responsibility, saying it "notes" the conclusions on awarding grades in summer 2020.
- On autumn exams, the government says an Exam Support Service is available to help schools and colleges manage the logistics, and says it is "clear that students and their families should not have to meet the cost of fees".
- On exam helplines, the government says the Exam Results Helpline is a freephone number, while the Ofqual helpline "is charged at standard network rate".
- On the 2021 exams, the government says the subject content of GCSEs, AS and A levels "will not be changed", though in certain subjects centres will have a choice of topics. On a short delay, it is working with Ofqual and others and "decisions will be confirmed as soon as possible".
- On post-16 catch-up, the government points to "up to £96 million" for 2020/21 through the 16 to 19 Tuition Fund and says special and alternative provision schools receive catch-up premium funding "in line with our usual approach".