The number of top A-level grades has fallen sharply this year and a similar drop is expected for GCSE grades as the government tries to reverse grade inflation caused by teacher evaluation during the pandemic. “The fact that grades will be lower than last year is not a reflection of student performance but the result of a decision by the government and exam regulator Ofqual to start returning grades to the 2019 standard in two steps,” said Geoff Barton , general secretary of the Association of School and College Principals. Expected to be released on Thursday, GCSE grades reached an all-time high in 2021 as 28.9% of students got one of the top grades after exams were canceled and results were determined by their teachers. This year there may be 230,000 fewer higher degrees in the UK than in 2021, but 230,000 more than in 2019, according to Alan Smithers, director of the University of Buckingham’s center for research into education and employment. The disruption to learning seen across the country despite distance learning will also lead to uneven outcomes, Barton said. “Schools have not been helped by the government’s lackluster and chaotic support for education recovery.” Pupils sitting their GCSE exams this year were plagued with anxiety, panic attacks and insomnia, headteachers said, adding that they had never seen a year group face so much uncertainty about grades. The current educational landscape has seen recent calls to scrap GCSEs and A-levels altogether for a system that better prepares students for the workplace. The grim GCSE review comes as the number of UK-based teenagers still seeking higher education courses remains at its highest level since 2013, almost a week after A-level results were received. More than 43,000 18-year-olds were flagged as “free for placement in liquidation” on the University and College Admissions Service (Ucas) website on Tuesday, according to the PA news agency. A growing population of 18-year-olds is likely to create “a more competitive environment” for students in the coming years, Ucas chief executive Clare Marchant previously said. GCSE entries in creative arts and design and technology subjects also fell this year, which Barton described as “worrying” and driven by government performance measures favoring traditional subjects over others. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Faced with funding pressures and rising energy costs, it will be increasingly difficult for schools to maintain small-entry classes, added Barton, whose concern comes as the attainment gap between more affluent areas of London and the south-east and of the north-eastern regions is increasing – now exceeding 8%. “There is a risk that some of these subjects will largely disappear from the state education system and become the preserve of only families wealthy enough to afford private schools and clubs. The government needs to make public education a priority and fund it properly,” Burton said. The Department of Education said it recognizes the unprecedented disruption students have faced during the pandemic. A spokesman said students were given advance information about exam content in some subjects, a grading approach that would “ensure” grades exceed those in 2019 and that almost £5 billion was being invested to help the recovery. “Students collecting results on Thursday will have the best range of options available to them,” the spokesman said. “They can rest assured that whatever their preferred destination, schools, colleges and employers are aware of this year’s grading arrangements and are adjusting accordingly.”
