Most A-level and GCSE students in NI to receive teachers’ predicted grades

Most A-level and GCSE students will be given grades predicted by teachers in a major climbdown by education authorities in Northern Ireland.

Stormont minister Peter Weir abandoned plans to use centralised standardisation following an outcry from teachers, parents and pupils over last Thursday’s results and days before GCSE pupils receive theirs.

Teachers’ estimates will be awarded to A-level candidates unless the computer algorithm which produced the centralised score gave a higher grade.

Mr Weir said: “In the challenging situation in which we find ourselves, there are no perfect solutions.

“Students would have preferred to have taken their exams, but that was simply not possible in the circumstances.

“There is no substitute for exams themselves and recent events highlight the need for a full-time return to education, five days a week.”

Exams were cancelled earlier this summer due to the coronavirus pandemic.

More than a third of A-level grades issued last Thursday were lower than teacher estimates.

The proportion of A* to A A-level grades awarded rose by 2.3%.

In total, 37% were lowered while 5.3% were raised.

A-level and GCSE students in England and Wales will also be given estimates by their teachers.

The devolved education minister Mr Weir said: “Concerns remain over the impact of changes to the qualifications system throughout the United Kingdom and any potential solution offered has its flaws.

“However, my prime concern is to ensure that young people in Northern Ireland are in no way disadvantaged in comparison to their peers elsewhere.

“Whilst standardisation is normally an important feature of awarding qualifications, these are truly unique circumstances and this approach is now being adopted across the UK. This is why I have taken this decision today.”

The Stormont Assembly will be recalled from summer recess on Tuesday to debate the furore caused by the centralised formula designed to rule out anomalies caused by individual schools or teachers.

Standardisation aims to avoid a case where a school could give all of its pupils unrealistic marks.

Mr Weir had previously argued that using grades predicted by teachers could undermine their credibility since historically those had been over-optimistic.

On Monday, he said he had instructed the CCEA (Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment) that all of their AS and A-level qualifications will now be awarded the higher of the grade submitted by their school or centre or the grade calculated by the CCEA.

He said the organisation was working to release the revised results to candidates as quickly as possible.

The minister made the announcement hours after saying GCSEs would be based solely on teacher predictions.

Robert Wilson, Northern Ireland regional officer of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “We welcome the decision to put an end to the grading fiasco of using only standardised grades.”

He fully supported the minister’s intention that young people in Northern Ireland are in no way disadvantaged in comparison to their peers elsewhere.

Stormont Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill said: “I welcome that the education minister will now respect the professional judgment of teachers in predicting AS and A-level grades.

“Standardisation was flawed from the beginning and should never have been used.

“Many students have been through a tough number of days.

“Today is a win for them.”

NUS-USI students’ union president Ellen Fearon said the decision was a huge relief to students who have faced months of uncertainty already.

She added: “This victory belongs to students who would not accept their futures being decided by an unjust algorithm.”

She attended a protest in Belfast city centre outside the Education Authority on Monday afternoon and said the change of heart was a welcome one.

Zara said: “There is a real demonisation of teachers which is disgusting.

“That needs to change.”

A CCEA statement said: “The Minister of Education, Peter Weir MLA, has decided that AS and A Level qualifications will now be awarded the higher of either the grades submitted by their school or college or the statistically standardised outcome awarded by CCEA on 13 August 2020. This is in line with the position in England and Wales.

“As directed by the minister, we will work as quickly as possible to confirm the results with schools and colleges. We will also update the information shared with UCAS/IUA, with any urgent cases prioritised.

“We are working through other details, including the appeals process, and will provide updates as soon as information becomes available.”