The Minister for Education, Gavin Williamson, has told the Education Select Committee that those sitting exams in the upcoming academic year will have exams adjusted, saying it would not be viable to “immediately switch back to the situation as it was back in 2019.” In a press release from the Department for Education, Mr Williamson…
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A-Level Results Continue to Exacerbate Inequality
The class of 2020-21 had an A-level experience unlike many others. Teacher-assessed grades replaced exams across the UK, culminating in the widest results gap between private and state schools in the modern era. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected us all in one way or another. It has caused setbacks in gender equality across the world,…
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A-Level results 2021: Grades reach record high
Today (10th August 2021) saw UK students achieve record breaking results across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with 44.8% achieving grades A* or A grade. This second year of replacement results comes after exams were cancelled early last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. These results supersede last year’s average of 38.5% of students entering…
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You didn’t fail your exams, exams failed you
The UK government has just announced a series of measures to make GCSEs and A-levels easier next year, as a result of teaching lost due to COVID. These include more generous grading, advance notice of topics to aid revision, and the option of sitting exams in July if they are missed for illness or self-isolating….
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UEA introduces ‘safety net’ for students
UEA has announced a ten-point plan for undergraduate assessment in summer 2020 after concerns the coronavirus pandemic may affect students’ grades. This comes as close to 1,800 students signed a petition calling for the University to “implement a no-detriment policy for end of year exams”. Harriet Davies, 21, is a third year Chemistry student at…
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Government approve ‘accelerated’ two-year degree proposals
The government have agreed to the introduction of ‘accelerated’ two-year degree courses, although this is still subject to parliamentary approval. This follows a consultation in which the government found that shorter courses will be able to offer more choice and flexibility, particularly for mature students. The department for education has suggested that under the plan,…
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Are exams pointless?
Some exams are archaic reflections of a ‘one size fits all’ system of streamlining. People may vilify them as an unnecessary cause of stress among students. I mean, what’s the point of finding out a person’s ability to memorise a volume of information that will be forgotten at the end of two hours? However, it…
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Comment Box: Sam Gyimah misses the mark with ‘grade inflation’
More students achieving first class degrees is not a bad thing. At least, it shouldn’t be. With education standards in the UK generally improving and year-on-year more students getting into Britain’s world-class universities, should it not be a success story to have so many leave higher education with such a fantastic degree classification? The fact…
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No exams failed at top UK universities
Concerns have been expressed for education standards at UK universities after an investigation by The Sunday Times newspaper found no students failed an exam at a selection of top universities. According to data given to The Sunday Times or released under freedom of information laws, eleven UK universities, including Durham and Oxford, recently admitted that…
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