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Pupils face exam chaos 'life sentence' over grade appeals, headteachers warn

The exam regulator has said appeals will only be allowed on technical grounds - Gareth Fuller/PA Wire
The exam regulator has said appeals will only be allowed on technical grounds - Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

Pupils face being handed a "life sentence" if they are not allowed to appeal incorrect grades in their GCSE or A-level exams, it has been claimed.

Next week, the majority of teenagers in England will receive grades that have been calculated using a statistical model after the coronavirus crisis interrupted the exam season.

However, the exam regulator has said appeals will only be allowed on technical grounds and not simply if a student believes they have been awarded an unfair grade.

Fears are growing that next week's results day could descend into chaos, with thousands of pupils handed questionable results.

One source familiar with the predicted grades model believes that "all hell will break loose".

Leading headteachers are now urging the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) to overhaul the system amid concerns that it could punish a generation of teenagers.

Dr Martin Stephen said the current system works fairly "only for those schools whose performance has been static for three years" - Jeff Gilbert
Dr Martin Stephen said the current system works fairly "only for those schools whose performance has been static for three years" - Jeff Gilbert

Dr Martin Stephen, the former High Master of St Paul's Boys' School, said the current results system was tantamount to "imposing a life sentence on children, with no effective right of appeal".

Ian Power, the general secretary of the Headmasters and Headmistresses Conference (HMC), which represents the country's most prestigious schools including Eton, Harrow and Winchester, warned that allowing students the right to appeal against their grades this summer was a matter of "natural justice".

He said exam boards could face a wave of legal challenges unless the rules are changed.

On Tuesday, exam results day in Scotland was described as a "shambles" after close to 125,000 predicted grades were downgraded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).

The Scottish and English regulators drew up statistical models to generate pupils' grades after all public exams were cancelled because of the virus crisis. Both models take into account various factors including data on a school's historic grades in the same subjects.

A source told The Telegraph the statistical model being used to predict English exam results shared the same basic principles with the Scottish one.

Dylan Quigley finds out his exam results with his sister, Louise, at Linwood High in Renfrewshire, Scotland, on Tuesday - Jeff Holmes/PA
Dylan Quigley finds out his exam results with his sister, Louise, at Linwood High in Renfrewshire, Scotland, on Tuesday - Jeff Holmes/PA

However, while pupils in Scotland are able to appeal against their results, English students are currently banned from doing so apart from on narrow technical grounds.

Pupils who believe their GCSE or A-level marks are lower than what they could have achieved are only allowed to appeal by sitting a new set of exams in the autumn.

On Wednesday evening, education chiefs heaped pressure on Ofqual to allow students a broader set of grounds on which they can appeal.

Mr Power said appeals were the "biggest concern" for the HMC this year, adding: "Having the right to appeal a result is natural justice. The appeals process this year is even more narrow than normal.

"Parents will take the action they feel they have to and, if that involves legal action, that could happen. That is part of the frustration."

Dr Stephen said the current system works fairly "only for those schools whose performance has been static for three years", adding that it is "grossly unfair to year groups who are unusually gifted".

Appeals are only allowed by Ofqual if a school can prove the process was not followed correctly; for example if an error was made during the calculation process.

Robert Halfon, the Tory MP who chairs the education select committee, said that, as things stand, students' parents would need to enlist a lawyer to navigate the appeals process.

"We currently have an appeals process that only serves the well-heeled and the sharp elbowed. If you are not an upwardly mobile professional, you don't have a chance," he said. "It has got to change – it has to be a level playing field for all students. Everyone should have a chance at getting a fair grade."

The exam regulator launched a consultation in June which proposed some additional grounds on which students could challenge results.

The consultation, to which Ofqual is due to respond this week, outlined plans that would allow students to appeal if they believe they are the victims of discrimination or bias. Under the proposals, teenagers would be allowed to appeal to exam boards if they believe there is evidence of "serious malpractice" by their school.

On Wednesday, Labour’s shadow education secretary, Kate Green, wrote to Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary, to demand answers over A-levels and GCSEs following the "disastrous" handling of Scottish results.

"Ministers must urgently set out how they'll ensure the results next week will not exacerbate existing inequalities, and what extra support they'll give to students who feel they’ve been unfairly graded to navigate the appeals process," she said.

An Ofqual spokesman said: "It is important that students understand their options, including the possibility of an appeal, if they do not receive the grade they expected.

"Students will be able to appeal, through their school or college, if they believe a mistake has been made or that something has gone wrong in their case.

"We are committed to helping students, and their families, understand the options available to them and will be publishing information on how appeals will operate this summer."

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “The vast majority of students will receive a calculated grade this summer that enables them to move on to the next stage of their education or training.

“Ofqual has developed a robust process that will take into account a range of evidence, including grades submitted by schools and colleges, with the primary aim of ensuring grades are as fair as possible for all students.

“Early data published by Ofqual shows calculated grades have had no impact on the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers, and ethnic minorities and their peers.”