Students’ summer exams to be marked ‘generously’

SCHOOL examiners will adopt “generous grading” this year to account for the disruptions to education caused by the pandemic.

The announced changes will concern GCSE and A Level exams this summer.

It comes after exam boards published the details of topics that will appear in exams in a move designed to mitigate the pandemic’s impact on grades.

The advance information is intended to reduce the amount of content pupils need to be taught or tested on.

A spokesman from exams regulator Ofqual, said: “As well as the other adaptations discussed in the Joint Council for Qualifications technical briefing, there will be generous grading.This will be delivered after marking is complete and when senior examiners set grade boundaries.

“It is likely to mean grade boundaries will be a little lower than they might have been in a normal year, but grade boundaries are never set in advance, so we cannot be precise at this point in the year.” Ofqual

chief regulator Jo Saxton said: “Advance information is one of the ways we are supporting students to have that certainty as they prepare to show what they know and can do.

“We are also ensuring there is a safety net for students with a generous approach to grading.” Sarah Hannafin, senior policy adviser for school leaders’ union NAHT, said the advance material “should now provide teachers and students some help on where to focus their revision and exam preparations”.

She added: “Advance information is not a simple list of what is assessed in the exam. The information is more complex, covers only high tariff questions and might relate to only a particular exam paper or section of it.

“Students have endured one of the most pivotal periods of their lives which can be pressurised even in ‘normal’ years. They simply want a fair shot at success in their exams this summer.”

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said: “We know students have faced challenges during the pandemic, which is why we’ve put fairness for them at the forefront of our plans. The information to help with their revision, as well as the range of other adaptations, will make sure they can do themselves justice in their exams this summer.”

The advance information is being released this month. The materials will only be available on exam board websites.