Almost a fifth of sixth form college students have been left with lower A-level grades than they would have received if they had sat their exams in previous years, analysis from the Sixth Form Colleges Associations has shown.
Ofqual should now immediately recalibrate and rerun the model to provide all students with an accurate grade, the organisation has said.
The analysis, which covered 65,050 enrolments in 41 A-level subjects, found that almost one-in-five students was awarded a calculated grade lower than historical performance for similarly qualified students doing those subjects in those colleges.
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Missing grades
“Overall, this equates to 12,048 missing grades in these colleges alone,” says the analysis from the SFCA. “When we look at individual subjects we do not find a single subject where performance is above the three-year average.”
In biology, for example, 24 per cent of students – 1,145 learners – were awarded a grade lower than similarly qualified students taking biology in previous years. In art and design (photography), that percentage was as high as 34 per cent.
Last week’s A-level results have led to a serious backlash from students, parents, colleges and schools, as well as sector organisations and politicians, highlighting that large institutions with big cohorts – including sixth form colleges – were more adversely affected by downgrading that others.
A survey by the SFCA last Thursday morning that found exam results for this year were below, and in some cases dramatically below, the historic exam performance of most member colleges, with some reported that their exam results were the worst since records began.
Bill Watkin, chief executive of the SFCA, said: “Our latest analysis provides further evidence that the government’s model for calculating A-level grades has failed to do so accurately for many young people, particularly those in larger institutions. The priority now is to correct this problem with immediate effect.
“There simply isn’t time to conduct a wholesale review of the system, or to force colleges and schools through the sort of appeals process envisaged by the government. As each day passes, the strain on students increases and more young people miss out on their chosen university or employment destination.
“Ofqual should therefore immediately recalibrate and rerun the model to provide all students with an accurate grade and provide an assurance that this will be no lower than the calculated grade they have already received. Should this still fail to produce results that are broadly similar to previous years, students should be awarded the grades predicted by teachers (known as centre assessed grades).”
