GCSE and A-level students will be able to sit exams if they don’t agree with the grades they received for their coursework this year.
The decision by Ofqual, a government body that oversees educational qualifications, means that a full set of exams will be offered for all subjects in the autumn instead of the summer.
Students will be able to appeal – through their school or college – if they believe the process this summer was not followed correctly.
And centres themselves can appeal if they believe something systemic has gone wrong in relation to their results.
Any student unable to receive a calculated result, and others who would like to improve their grades, will have an opportunity to take the full suite of GCSE, AS and A level exams in the autumn.
The exams regulator published its decisions on Tuesday following a consultation.
Ofqual said it had ‘listened carefully’ to responses about what the grades should be based on, including arguments about the role non-exam assessment (NEA) plays in assessing aspects of a subject’s content that cannot be assessed by exam.
Sally Collier, chief regulator, Ofqual, said: “We, and exam boards, are committed to helping students and their families understand how to access an appeal or make a complaint about bias, discrimination, or another concern.
“We will provide accessible information and have a helpline available to students and their parents or carers to talk about the appeals process and any other questions they may have about their results this summer.”
It has been suggested that AS and A-level exams will take place in October, and GCSE exams in November.
See www.gov.uk for more information.
