Share:
5 January 2021
Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the ISC, responds to the Government’s announcement confirming that GCSE and A-level exams in England will not go ahead as planned this year.
The ISC chairman said: “There is no perfect solution to assessment arrangements for Year 11 and Year 13 pupils given the current course of the virus but fairness must be at the heart of every decision that impacts young people. There is a range of views across the education sector and many students will be disappointed to lose the opportunity to put their learning to the test through traditional exams.
“All those involved in education will be unanimous in thinking that our young people, who have experienced so much turmoil, deserve a fair assessment process which accurately reflects their efforts and ability and one which gives them something to work towards across the rest of the academic year.
“The learning loss experienced by so many pupils is a tragic consequence of the pandemic and everything possible must be done to ensure that this year’s exam pupils are not put at further disadvantage. We cannot afford a repeat of the mistakes made as part of last year’s assessment process.
“It is now for the Government and Ofqual to work with education professionals to produce a fair system of assessment that will reward all our young people with the grades they deserve.”
