Tuesday 18 August 2020

Exams U Turn

 Before going on to the recent turnaround in how grades have been awarded to A level students recently, let's just look at what we are considering. Due to the government panic over coronavirus, the exams were cancelled for this year and guesswork grades would be handed out, without the children having to do anything for them. 

A formula was arrived at between the teaching Unions and the education regulator, Ofqal as to how the grades should be arrived at. It was explained that some 'downgrading' was necessary as teachers had submitted unrealistically high assessments.

Once the 'results' were announced those with grades that didn't suit them, started objecting loudly, including little flowers telling the BBC, that they would have got A's or A*'s if they had taken the exams. The option exists to take the exam in the Autumn. No one seems to want to take that route and the BBC don't mention it.

Boris the Weak, as he left to holiday in Scotland seems to have instructed his Education Secretary to give in to the wailers and a 'U turn' as the media like to call these things, was performed. Now the outrage (from the BBC and Labour, who supported the formula strongly originally) is that Gavin Williamson hasn't been sacked and won't resign.

The BBC are slightly amazed that Williamson is blaming Ofqal on the weak basis they feel, that Ofqal are actually to blame. Labour think he should go because he chose a system that they agreed with, but now don't. Honestly, the BBC isn't a news outlet and the Labour party has no integrity left, whatsoever.

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