Schools could appeal GCSE grades that are too high

The fiasco surrounding the awarding of grades this summer is continuing, with headteachers reportedly considering challenging unusually high GCSE results.

Headteachers of schools across England have reported bizarre anomalies as record results were published, with pupils unexpectedly upgraded beyond their school-assessed grade. Whilst much of the argument has been about grades being too low, there are growing fears that some students could now subsequently end up on unsuitable courses which could set them up for failure.

Although GCSE results were mainly derived from assessments made by teachers and schools, students who have been awarded a grade which was higher than the school-assessed grade by the flawed algorithm will not be downgraded. This means that there are large numbers of centre-assessed grades being raised.

In some cases, students who were being entered for foundation-tier papers were awarded a 6 by the algorithm, when the maximum possible grade was 5. A school in West Yorkshire has reported 12 students awarded results in the same subject that were four grades higher than the CAGs.

Ofqual has said that the proportion of the highest GCSE grades awarded in England this year jumped by 26 per cent. Based on school-assessed grades in most cases, the proportion of grades 7, 8 and 9 awarded to Year 11 pupils rose from 21.9 per cent last year to 27.6 per cent this year. In all cases the proportion of higher grades awarded would have set new records had they been sat under exam conditions.