New guidance published by the exams regulator Ofqual today emphasises areas teachers must be aware of when awarding students GCSE and A-level grades this summer, to ensure their judgements are not biased.

Teachers have raised concerns over the fairness of the grading process this summer. In a recent Tes poll responded to by over 19,000 UK school staff, just 39 per cent said they felt that all candidates would get a “fair deal” from receiving teacher-assessed grades. 

Respondents raised concerns about potential teacher bias and favouritism, and a lack of “accuracy” compared to exams.

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The new guidance says that to avoid “unconscious bias” and to be objective, schools are “urged to reflect on and question whether they may have any preconceptions about each student’s performance and whether their perception of the evidence might be affected by any irrelevant factors”.

Teachers are told to be aware of:

Confirmation bias

Teachers should avoid only noticing evidence about a student that “fits with pre-existing views of them” when making grading judgements.

‘Masking’ or ‘halo’ effects

Teachers should also be aware of how particular views about students could either hide or accentuate their “actual knowledge, skills and abilities,” the regulator says.

Focusing too much on recent work

Teachers should not give undue weight to their most recent interactions with students or the most recent work completed when making their assessment of the likely GCSE or A-level grade the pupils would have achieved.

Focusing too much on first impressions

Equally, the regulator points out that teachers should not focus unduly on their first impressions of students when awarding grades either.

Selective focus on parts of the course content

Teachers should also avoid focusing too much on a student’s performance in a particular part of the course rather than considering performance across the subject. 

Contrast effects

Teachers must also think about whether they are “over- or underestimating a student’s likely performance having first considered a large number of students who are all working at a different standard,” the guidance says.