Exams 2021: how will A-level and GCSE results be decided after Ofqual announcement - and what are ‘mini exams’?

Teachers will decide pupils’ grades after GCSEs and A-levels were cancelled in England due to coronavirus.

Exams watchdog Ofqual has confirmed that this year’s grading system will be built around teachers’ judgements.

It follows the chaos caused in summer 2020 when thousands of A-level students had their results downgraded from teacher predictions by an algorithm, before Ofqual announced a U-turn.

The new arrangements will be set out by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson in the House of Commons on Thursday 25 February.

So, how will results be decided in 2021, what are “mini exams” - and what happened on results day last year?

Here is everything you need to know.

How will results be decided in 2021?

Schools will be able to determine pupils’ grades this year, using a combination of mock exams, coursework and essays.

There will be no algorithm to calculate results after the “distress” caused to pupils last year, Ofqual and the Department of Education have said.

Teachers will be expected to award grades based on their professional judgement, drawing on evidence available.

Schools will be presented with detailed guidance for grading and will be expected to make sure there is consistency between teachers.

Exam boards will then check random samples and have the power to investigate and change grades if they have concerns about unusual results.

If pupils are unhappy with the grade they have been given, they will be able to appeal. It is expected that there will be no financial charge for appeals.

There will be also no fixed share of grades, and schools will not be expected to conform with last year’s, or any other year’s, results.

The decision came after a consultation into how best to assess pupils after months of disruption caused by school closures during Covid-19 restrictions.

Schools minister Nick Gibb said the government had come up with "the best system possible to ensure there is consistency and fairness in how teachers submit grades for their students".

Asked if he accepted that grades would be inflated this year, he told BBC Breakfast that the government had "different checking mechanisms" in place to ensure "consistency".

The Education Policy Institute think tank has warned that the results plan for this year risks "extremely high grade inflation".

Will pupils still have to sit exams?

There will be “mini-exams” set by exam boards for each subject this year.

The question papers, which could be from previous exams, will be sent to schools before the Easter holidays and can be taken before 18 June - the date that teachers need to submit grades to exam boards.

It is intended that pupils will be given questions on a topic they have studied despite missing school during lockdowns.

These tests are intended to inform the judgement of teachers, but they will be optional for schools to use and they will not decide the final grades for pupils.

The papers will not be taken in exam conditions, with pupils sitting them in class rather than exam halls. There will also be no fixed time limit for their duration and the tests will be marked by teachers.

Ofqual has said the tests should not be seen as exams.

Those studying for vocational and technical qualifications will also get teacher-assessed grades rather than having to sit exams.

For pupils still wishing to take written tests, there will be an option of exams in the autumn.

When is A-level and GCSE results day 2021?

A-level results day will be on 10 August 2021, while GCSE results will be given out two days later on 12 August.

Results days have been brought forward this year for those wishing to appeal their grades ahead of decisions over university places.

Before the summer holidays, teachers will be able to tell pupils how they performed in the test papers set by exam boards, but not their final results.

What happened with results last year?

Last summer, after exams were cancelled due to the pandemic, around 40 per cent of A-level results based on teacher predictions were downgraded by Ofqual.

The exams regulator had used a controversial algorithm based on schools’ prior grades.

Following widespread uproar, Ofqual announced a U-turn which permitted schools to use the grades estimated by teachers instead.

Ofqual chair Roger Taylor and Education Secretary Gavin Williamson apologised for the "distress" caused to pupils.

At the time, Mr Williamson said students and parents had been affected by "significant inconsistencies" within the grading process.

In a statement, he said the Department for Education had worked with Ofqual to design "the fairest possible model" but it had become clear that the process of awarding results had resulted in "more significant inconsistencies than can be resolved through an appeals process".

"I am sorry for the distress this has caused young people and their parents but hope this announcement will now provide the certainty and reassurance they deserve," said Mr Williamson.