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A-levels and GCSEs: Free exam appeals for schools in England | A-levels and GCSEs: Free exam appeals for schools in England |
(32 minutes later) | |
The government will cover the cost of schools in England appealing against A-level and GCSE grades. | The government will cover the cost of schools in England appealing against A-level and GCSE grades. |
It comes amid an ongoing row after 280,000 A-level students had their marks downgraded. | It comes amid an ongoing row after 280,000 A-level students had their marks downgraded. |
Ministers are also expected to set up a "gold command" taskforce, led by Schools Minister Nick Gibb, to oversee the appeals process. | Ministers are also expected to set up a "gold command" taskforce, led by Schools Minister Nick Gibb, to oversee the appeals process. |
The government previously said it wants the process to conclude by 7 September. | The government previously said it wants the process to conclude by 7 September. |
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson told The Times the government would cover the fees in a bid to ensure that head teachers were not deterred from making appeals. | Education Secretary Gavin Williamson told The Times the government would cover the fees in a bid to ensure that head teachers were not deterred from making appeals. |
There had been fears that the costs - which can reach £150 - could stop schools from taking on harder to prove cases. | There had been fears that the costs - which can reach £150 - could stop schools from taking on harder to prove cases. |
The regulator, Ofqual, will give more details next week. | The regulator, Ofqual, will give more details next week. |
Earlier, Labour called on ministers to act immediately to sort out an "exams fiasco" in England and stop thousands of A-level students being "betrayed". | Earlier, Labour called on ministers to act immediately to sort out an "exams fiasco" in England and stop thousands of A-level students being "betrayed". |
And some Tory MPs have challenged the fairness of how grades have been decided. | And some Tory MPs have challenged the fairness of how grades have been decided. |
BBC News political correspondent Helen Catt said having "an efficient and effective" appeals process "is going to be really important in making sure more Tories don't join them". | BBC News political correspondent Helen Catt said having "an efficient and effective" appeals process "is going to be really important in making sure more Tories don't join them". |
After exams were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, grades were awarded using a controversial modelling system, with the key factors being the ranking order of pupils and the previous exam results of schools and colleges. | |
This produced more top grades than have ever been seen before in A-levels, with almost 28% getting A* and As, but head teachers have been angry about "unfathomable" individual injustices in the downgrading of some results. | |
In England, 36% of entries had grades lower than their teachers predicted and 3% were down two grades. | |
There has since been calls to switch away from this system and to use teachers' predictions, in the way that the government U-turned in Scotland. | |
But England's exam watchdog Ofqual has warned that using teachers' predictions would have artificially inflated results - and would have seen about 38% of entries getting A*s and As. | |
Labour said the lack of consistency in individual results was "heartbreaking" for those affected and the government was squarely to blame for sticking with a "fatally flawed results system". | |
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has previously defended what he said were a "robust set" of grades and said that pupils who believed they were treated unfairly would be able to appeal or, if they wanted, sit exams in the autumn. | |
Schools can appeal for an upgrade if their pupils' mock grades were higher than their estimated results. | |
But the exam regulator Ofqual has still to say how a mock exam result can be validated - and head teachers have warned that mocks are not standardised or taken by all pupils, and could not be used as a fair way of deciding final exam results. |