Teachers are reporting that students are receiving “bizarre” boosts to GCSE final grades, pushing them above the centre-assessed grades that schools submitted.
One student judged to be a grade 1 ended up with an 8, and there are fears that students will end up getting on courses that are not appropriate for them.
Ofqual’s dramatic U-turn on Monday has meant that students are today receiving whichever grade is higher - the CAGs that teachers worked out or the moderated grade produced by Ofqual.
Schools can only see the Ofqual moderated grades this morning when they are upgraded above the CAG to become a student’s final result.
There are reports that in some cases final grades are well above the grades that teachers had predicted.
The news comes as Ofqual revealed that it upgraded GCSE maths grades after the National Reference Tests indicated there should be a“statistically significant” rise in scores at grades A/7 and C/4.
The regulator said that in some cases the moderated grade would be higher than the CAG because “evidence from the statistical standardisation suggests that the school’s judgements were a little severe.”
However, some schools have been left baffled by some of the results that have been announced this morning.
A headteacher of a West Yorkshire school said that, in one case, a pupil forecast a grade 1 in a subject had been given an 8 after the Ofqual moderating process.
He also had 12 students in the same subject where final grades were four grades higher than the centre assessed grades produced by the school.
The head said that these outcomes “beggar belief” and also meant students could potentially access A-level courses that would not be appropriate for them.
Former Department for Education adviser Sam Freedman also highlighted the issue in a Twitter post.
I know everyone is bored of exams now but some hearing about some barmy grades awarded by algorithm. Schools can only see the ones that have been upgraded not the ones that would have been downgraded.
He said: ”[I am] hearing about some barmy grades awarded by algorithm.
“Schools can only see the ones that have been upgraded not the ones that would have been downgraded.
“For instance there are schools where pupils who would taken foundation tier papers, where the top possible grade is a 5, have been awarded a 6 by the algorithm!
“Safe to say if they hadn’t already U-turned they would have had to.
“While this is certainly less problematic than young people missing out on places it’s not great that some students will have grades higher than they could possibly have achieved and are thus eligible for courses they won’t be suited for.
“Even had a couple of heads suggesting they want to appeal some extreme upgrades (e.g. 1-5) because it will set such unrealistic expectations.”
Teacher James McNamee posted on social media to say his school has seen “bizarre” increases, with some three grades higher at the top end.
Melanie Muldowney, who teaches maths at North Bromsgrove High School, said: “I am aware that the algorithm threw out some grade 6‘s for foundation tier students. Foundation only goes up to grade 5, so this should never have happened.”
David Collins, the head of Knole Academy, in Kent, questioned why the Ofqual algorithm has resulted in increases above the centre assessed grades.
Speaking to Tes he said: “We are seeing some students being upgraded by the algorithm as it were. And I do question that - as much as it is to the benefit of our students.”
He added: “I do think to myself: the teachers have assessed them, that is what they thought was the most appropriate grade. On what basis do they get a higher grade?
“But I am not going to argue about those - we will take those at this moment of time.”
He added that majority of the final grades are the ones that teachers had predicted for students and said that without the reversal on how grades were being awarded this year schools would be having “a very different conversation right now.”
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