The Department for Education’s lack of a plan for GCSE and A-level exam cancellations was “one of the most embarrassing and consequential failures” of the government’s response to the Covid crisis, a report published today claims.

A freedom of information request has revealed that the department had no plan for assessing students if exams could not go ahead because of a national emergency.

The Reform think tank was also told by the DfE that, as of November 2019, it had no specific policy in place on responding to a pandemic.

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Reform said today: “This ‘gaping hole’ in government preparation was despite the high likelihood of a pandemic occurring, according to the government National Risk Assessment.”

GCSEs and A levels 2020: A ‘failure’ in planning

The grading of GCSEs and A levels went on to become a major controversy for the government after exams were cancelled in March and a plan to give students moderated grades based on an algorithm was abandoned after a backlash from the A-level results.

Reform’s report is critical of elements of the government’s response to the crisis and also warns that parliamentary scrutiny of pandemic preparedness was found to be almost non-existent prior to Covid-19.

The report describes the DfE’s failure to plan for exam cancellations as an example of a planning gap.

It says: “In this instance [the exams], failure to plan for a non-health impact quickly became one of the most embarrassing and consequential failures of the government’s pandemic response.

“These examples demonstrate a failure to implement the most basic principles of emergency planning. To address these shortcomings, stronger oversight of emergency planning across government is needed.”

In an FOI response, the DfE told Reform that “the department itself has developed no such plans” for how GCSE, AS- and A-level students would be assessed if it was not possible to proceed with exams.

It also said that: “As of and before November 2019, there was no specific DfE policy with regards to responding to a pandemic and, as such [the DfE could not share any] documents in relation to any internal planning.”  

The DfE has been approached for comment.