GCSE and A level students sitting exams in 2022 will be awarded lower grades than cohorts whose education has been disrupted by the Covid pandemic in the past two years, exams regulator Ofqual has revealed today.

Grades awarded in 2022 will use boundaries set at a midway point between the distributions seen in 2021 and 2019, the last year when public exams were sat.

Ofqual said this is to reflect how 2022 is a “transition” year where pupils have still suffered disruptions as a result of Covid-19.

It was also announced today that the regulator will launch a consultation on using teacher-assessed grades again in 2022 if Covid leads to the cancellation of exams for the third year in a row.

And Ofqual has set out how exams will be adapted next year to take into account the disruption this exam cohort has faced during the crisis.

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The decision on next year’s exam results will mean that students will get higher grades in 2022 than those who sat exams in 2019 - before the pandemic - but that their grades will be lower than those seen in summer 2020 and 2021, when teacher-assessed grades were awarded.

In 2021, over two-fifths of A-level entries were awarded the top two grades of A or A* compared with just over a quarter in 2019.

Ofqual said it plans to return the grading standard to pre-pandemic levels in 2023.  It has also ruled out the creation of new top grades in 2023, having gauged opinions on this idea earlier this year. 

GCSEs and A levels 2022: Exam mitigations confirmed

The regulator also confirmed mitigating changes to exams next year to adjust for students’ learning loss during the pandemic, such as a choice of topics in GCSE English, history, ancient history and geography.

In subjects where no choice of topic is available, students will receive advance information on the focus of exams so they can target their revision more carefully.

This information will be released by 7 February at the latest and could be released earlier if there is further educational disruption caused by the pandemic.

However some education unions leaders have criticised the timing of this and said the information should be provided sooner. 

Students sitting GCSE maths will also be given formulae sheets, and those sitting GCSE physics and combined sciences will have equation sheets available as they sit papers.

And there will be changes for the delivery requirements of science practicals and art assessments.

The regulator has published a two-week consultation today on contingency plans if exams cannot go ahead in the event of further disruption.

It proposes that, as in 2021, teacher-assessed grading should be used but adds that students should be told if any assessments are to be used for their TAGs beforehand, and advises schools to use coursework and mock exams for these to address the workload concerns of 2021.

Ofqual has said schools should aim for assessments that will be used for TAGs to last no longer than a normal summer exam series.

Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said:  “We’ve put fairness at the heart of our approach and listened to pupils, teachers and parents.

“The measures we’re putting in place will help reduce the impact of the significant disruption this group of young people have had to face - allowing them to move on to the next stage of their lives.

“We are committed to rigorous standards being fairly applied, and exams are the fairest way to assess students, which is why they will take place next year.”

Ofqual chief regulator Jo Saxton said: “2022 will be a transition year to reflect that we are in a pandemic recovery period and students’ education has been disrupted. In 2022 we will aim, therefore, to reflect a midway point between 2021 and 2019.

“This will provide a safety net for students, to reflect the disruption this cohort have experienced already in their course and recognising the fact that, because of the pandemic, most A-level students won’t have taken public exams before.

“Grades will be based on how students have performed in exams: they will be meaningful and can be trusted by universities, colleges and employers.”