EXAM results will now be awarded to students in Wales on the basis of teacher assessments.
The Welsh Government announced that A-levels and GCSEs would be awarded based on the “centre assessment grades” from teachers, with minister Kirsty Williams saying it was a fair way of proceeding “given decisions elsewhere”.
In Wales, 42% of A-level results predicted by teachers were lowered by Qualifications Wales, leading to claims that its algorithm, which took into account the past performances of schools, had unfairly downgraded some pupils.
A similar move is expected in England after Tory MPs heaped pressure on Boris Johnson and Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to change course.
Downing Street refused to rule out a shift to a Scottish-style system based on teachers’ predicted grades rather than an algorithm aimed at standardising results.
Johnson has gone on holiday to Scotland this week despite the chaos over the A-level results, but held talks with Williamson and senior officials on Monday morning.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson may have to abandon Scottish staycation to fix A-levels chaos
In an indication that the grades awarded last week may not be the final results, a Number 10 spokesman said “the Government continues to work hard to come up with the fairest system possible”.
Signs that Williamson will announce changes for England later on Monday came as senior ministers went public with their criticism of the system, which was put in place by regulator Ofqual after A-level exams were cancelled due to coronavirus.
READ MORE: English exams chaos as ministers refuse to budge and students plan court action
Paymaster General Penny Mordaunt said she was seeking a meeting with colleagues at the Department for Education (DfE) about the issue and had made clear that if students wanted to sit the exams in the autumn there should be no fee.
“This group of young people have lost out on so much already; we must ensure that bright, capable students can progress on their next step,” she said.
The minister added that she had also “made my views on GCSE results known to DfE”.
Defence Minister Johnny Mercer said he was “acutely aware of the issues around A-level results and am equally concerned for the GCSE results on Thursday”.
In a hint that a U-turn was coming, he said: “I do not believe this is the end of the story – there are too many clear injustices.
“At this time we must not panic, and await developments. I am limited in what I can say publicly – I have had many private conversations.”
Any U-turn could also apply to GCSEs ahead of the results of those qualifications being awarded on Thursday.
Conservative former education secretary Lord Baker of Dorking urged ministers to delay the publication of the GCSE results until the problems with A-levels have been resolved.
In Northern Ireland, Education Minister Peter Weir has said GCSE students will be awarded the grades predicted by their teachers.
Downing Street said there would be no delay in the publication of GCSE results.
An announcement on A-level and GCSE results is widely expected on Monday afternoon from Williamson and Ofqual.
Downing Street insisted that Mr Johnson still has confidence in the Education Secretary and Ofqual chief Sally Collier.
“The whole Government has been working hard to come up with the fairest possible system for pupils,” the Number 10 spokesman said.
“We recognise it has been an incredibly difficult year for pupils who were unable to take their exams, and many are obviously concerned and anxious about the grading system.”
As well as ministers Mercer and Mordaunt, a series of Tory backbenchers have called for the algorithm to be abandoned.
And England’s Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield said the algorithm used by Ofqual was “irredeemably flawed”.
She called for the centre assessment grades provided by teachers to be used for GCSEs but acknowledged it would be “difficult to put that genie back in the bottle” for A-level results which have already been announced.
In a stinging criticism of the Government’s handling of the episode, she said: “It is notable that other countries in Europe have managed to find better, more creative and fairer ways than the UK of replacing or managing final school examinations during Covid-19.
“In due course, I hope the Government and Ofqual will consider the injustices that occur when the efforts, talents and dreams of children are considered to be reducible to the output from a statistical model.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here