Examinations Consultation Summer 2021

Dear Parent/Carer

Following on from the Government’s announcement that exams this summer are cancelled, the Department for Education and OFQUAL have launched a consultation for the Summer 2021 exams. The consultation aims to seek the views of schools, students and parents on how to award grades in a way that reflects students’ performance accurately, recognising the disruption they have faced this year.

I have attached both documents (46 and 68 pages respectively) but have provided a brief summary below. The consultation is keen to point out that, once we return to school, students will continue with their education during this academic year. The assessment period will continue until Mid-June when the final submissions will be made, followed by a programme of quality assurance by the exam boards. The consultation also includes proposals to release results earlier than usual in July.

GCSEs, AS and A Levels

• a student’s grade in a subject will be based on their teacher’s assessment of the standard at which they are performing based on areas of content they have studied
• teachers will draw on a range of evidence of a student’s work in making their final assessment
• the final assessment will be made towards the end of the academic year (mid- June), at about the time students would have taken their exams
• exam boards will provide guidance and training, and make available a set of papers for teachers to use with their students as part of their assessment.
• Link to the document is here (also attached). 

VTQs and other general qualifications

• for those VTQs and other general qualifications that are most similar to GCSE, AS and A levels (e.g. Cambridge Nationals, Cambridge Technicals and Core Maths) it is not viable for external exams to go ahead
• for these qualifications, a revised version of the regulatory framework will be created to allow awarding organisations to continue to offer adapted assessments and to award qualifications where exams have not taken place and learners have not been able to complete all other assessments
• for Functional Skills and for qualifications that require a practical assessment to demonstrate occupational competency or that are licence to practise (eg CPC), assessments should continue to take place subject to public health guidance
• for these qualifications, where there is no way to deliver assessments safely or when students have not received enough learning to reach occupational competency, assessments will have to be delayed.
• Link to the document is here (also attached)

If you wish to respond to the consultation you may do through this link https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/ACIHL2/. The consultation period will end at 23:45 on 29 January. As soon as we are informed of the results of the consultation, I will be in touch again to share these.

Regards

Kirsty Cleworth

Assistant Principal