Ofqual has pledged that Year 10 and 12 pupils will not be “unfairly disadvantaged” if their 2021 GCSE and A-level performance is hit by the lessons they have missed this year.

In new guidance, published today, the exams regulator says: “We know the Covid-19 outbreak will have caused stress and uncertainty for many students, regardless of whether or not they were due to take exams this year.”

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Ofqual adds that Year 10 and 12 pupils will have “experienced disruption” to their education but that it is “too soon to say” what impact this will have had on their performance during exams in 2021.

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But the guidance continues: “If the evidence suggests that the performance of next year’s GCSE, AS- and A-level students is lower than expected, we will work with exam boards to ensure they are not unfairly disadvantaged by these circumstances.” 

It says that Ofqual’s immediate priority is ensuring that the grades for this year’s cohort are as “fair and robust” as possible.