A-level grades 'drop below three-year average'

The Sixth Form Colleges Association has claimed that A-level grades awarded in English sixth form colleges this year fell below the average of the last three years.

The association said its research is further evidence that students in larger institutions have been failed by this year's system, following outcry that nearly 40 per cent of A-level grades awarded in England were lower than teachers' predictions.

Students, who were not able to sit exams this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, had 280,000 A-level results downgraded.

Both the government and exam regulator Ofqual has faced criticism over the statistical model it used to decide the grades.

The Sixth Form Colleges Association analysed 65,000 exam entries in 41 subjects from sixth form colleges and found that grades were 20 per cent lower than historic performances for similar students in those colleges. According to college leaders, this equates to ’12,048 missing grades’ in those colleges alone.

The SFCA said its analysis of 41 subjects had not found a single one where the results were above the three-year average, and claims that its findings prove that Ofqual failed to meet its ‘fundamental objective’ of ensuring that national results were broadly similar to previous years.

Bill Watkin, chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said: “Our latest analysis provides further evidence that the government’s model for calculating A level grades has failed to do so accurately for many young people, particularly those in larger institutions. The priority now is to correct this problem with immediate effect. There simply isn’t time to conduct a wholesale review of the system, or to force colleges and schools through thesort of appeals process envisaged by the government. As each day passes, the strain on students increases and more young people miss out on their chosen university or employment destination.

“Ofqual should therefore immediately recalibrate and rerun the model to provide all students with an accurate grade, and provide an assurance that this will be no lower than the calculated grade they have already received. Should this still fail to produce results that are broadly similar to previous years, students should be awarded the grades predicted by teachers (known as centre assessed grades).”