Setting standards in the autumn series
To be as fair as we can to those students, we are working with exam boards to carry forward the generosity from summer 2020 grades, the majority of which were based on centre assessment grades.
Cath Jadhav
Associate Director of Standards and Comparability at Ofqual. She previously worked for the AQA and AEB exam boards.
Looking ahead to A level results
On Thursday, students will receive their A level results – a regular event and for many a cause for celebration at the close of the academic year, but so very different this year. It’s an anxious time for students, parents/carers …
Fairness in awarding
This summer will be my twelfth at Ofqual. Each one has been different, but this one has been truly exceptional. However, over that time there has been one constant – fairness for students. This has always been at the heart …
Reflections on the Summer Symposium
On Tuesday we held our annual Summer Symposium. Given the circumstances this summer, it was a webinar, meaning we could speak to many more people than usual. In relation to GCSEs, AS and A levels in England, we focused on …
Making grades as fair as they can be: advice for schools and colleges
We will shortly publish the outcome of our consultation on arrangements for awarding grades in GCSEs, AS and A levels this summer. In a few weeks the window will open for schools and colleges to submit centre assessments grades and …
Arrangements for summer 2020
Last week we announced our plans for making sure students taking GCSEs, AS and A levels, as well as extended project qualifications and the advanced extension award in maths, get grades this summer. We published information for teachers, heads of …
Ten things you need to know about the National Reference Test
The National Reference Test (or NRT) is now in its fourth year, and schools across England are getting ready to take the test in the coming weeks. This test measures the performance of year 11 students in English language and …
GCSE tier entry in 2020
As the deadline approaches for making GCSE entries, we know that schools and colleges will be thinking carefully about the appropriate tier of entry for their students in those subjects that are tiered – maths and statistics, the science suite …
Maintaining standards in November GCSEs
For many years there has been a November GCSE series which provides an opportunity for students to resit English language and maths. It’s mainly for students who didn’t get the results they were aiming for previously, and it is only …
How (not) to compare standards between exam boards
From time to time we see suggestions that one exam board’s GCSE is easier than another, most often because one board has a higher percentage of students achieving high grades. I’d like to explain why simply comparing the grade profiles …