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'A dereliction of duty' – Schools must wait to find out how Covid-hit exams will be awarded

Government policy Examinations & Qualifications GCSEs and A Levels Coronavirus
The DfE's lack of a Plan B on examinations is a 'dereliction of duty' school leaders have said as they face up to yet another consultation over how Covid-cancelled examinations will now be awarded.

Teacher-assessed grades will be used to award this summer’s GCSE, A level and AS level examinations, the education secretary has confirmed.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday, January 6, Gavin Williamson, said that the sector can expect a consultation on the details of how grading this summer will work.

He said that “this year we’re going to put our trust in teachers not algorithms”.

However, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) is frustrated at the “vague” statement and said that the lack of a “ready-to-go” Plan B is a “dereliction of duty”.

Last summer’s exam grading fiasco was sparked because the Department for Education (DfE) and Ofqual relied on a flawed algorithm to allocated grades rather than using teacher-assessed grades.

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