Algorithm downgrades nearly 40% of English exam results, hitting poorer students hardest
Unions want the government to replace the grades with teachers' predicted results
Calls to ditch the algorithm
A similar system used in Scotland was abandoned this week after its calculations provoked a public outcry. A quarter of all pupils hadreceived downgraded results, and students in deprived areas had their pass rates dropped by more than twice the rate of those in the country’s richest regions.
In response, the Scottish government withdrew the results and replaced them with the teachers’ predictions. Unions are now calling for ministers in England to follow Scotland’s lead.
“The government needs to accept it has got this badly wrong, stop trying to pull a rabbit out of the hat and keep things simple by using teacher predictions – as happened in Scotland,” said Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU).
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has dismissed the idea, but says pupils can resit their exams in the fall, or swap their grades for those they got in mock exams earlier this year. However, schools will need to provide evidence of a “valid” mock result to appeal against the grades.
“We still don’t know how long appeals are going to take, how much they will cost, and what the grounds will be,” Laura McInerney, a former teacher and education blogger,toldthe Financial Times. “Until you answer those questions, headteachers won’t be able to give proper guidance to their pupils about what to do.”
The uncertainty will only add to the stress of students — particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
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Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, and government policy.Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, and government policy.
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