A-level and GCSE grades for students in Wales will be awarded on the basis of teacher assessments, the Welsh government has said.
The U-turn follows claims from headteachers and unions that the country’s system for allocating exam results for A-levels unfairly discriminated against some students.
In Wales, 42 per cent of A-level results predicted by teachers were lowered by Qualifications Wales, leading to claims that its algorithm, which took into account the past performances of schools, had unfairly downgraded some pupils.
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Education minister Kirsty Williams confirmed that A-level, AS-level, GCSE, Skills Challenge Certificate and Welsh Baccalaureate grades in Wales will now be awarded on the basis of centre assessment grades.
Ms Williams said: “Working with Qualifications Wales and (exams board) WJEC, we have sought an approach which provides fairness and balances out differences in the standards applied to judgments in schools.
“Given decisions elsewhere, the balance of fairness now lies with awarding centre assessment grades to students, despite the strengths of the system in Wales.
“I am taking this decision now ahead of results being released this week so that there is time for the necessary work to take place.
“For grades issued last week, I have decided that all awards in Wales will also be made on the basis of teacher assessment.
“For those young people for whom our system produced higher grades than those predicted by teachers, the higher grades will stand.
“Maintaining standards is not new for 2020, it is a feature of awarding qualifications every year in Wales, and across the UK.
“However, it is clear that maintaining confidence in our qualifications whilst being fair to students requires this difficult decision.
“These have been exceptional circumstances, and in due course, I will be making a further statement on an independent review of events following the cancellation of this year’s exams.
“Other awarding bodies across the UK are involved in determining the approach to vocational qualifications. This continues to be the case but it is important that I give assurance to GCSE, AS and A-level students at the earliest opportunity.”
Hundreds of people gathered outside the Senedd over the weekend to protest over the grading system, while Plaid Cymru said it was discussing launching legal action against Wales’s exams watchdog.
