Gavin Williamson urged to delay GCSE results after A Levels were downgraded

GCSE results are due out on August 20.

Gavin Williamson has been urged to delay the release of GCSE results following almost 40% of A-level predicted results being downgraded.

Some students missed out on their university offers despite never taking exams in the coronavirus pandemic, because they were given grades based on a government algorithm which took into account factors including GCSE results and their school’s past performance.

The former Tory education secretary who introduced GCSEs in the late 1980s has said the publication of GCSE results should be postponed for two weeks to try to avoid the same mistakes.

Lord Kenneth Baker told current education secretary Mr Williamson that there had been ‘unfair and barely explicable downgrades’ of A-levels.

He said: ‘I urge the education secretary to instruct Ofqual not to release the GCSEs results this Thursday as their algorithm is flawed. The A-level results have produced hundreds of thousands of unfair and barely explicable downgrades.

‘They have helped smaller private schools but hit the brighter students in a poorly performing state school. It is not surprising that various parties are considering legal actions.

‘The Royal Statistical Society has claimed that Ofqual has breached its “obligation to serve the public good” and its model failed to “achieve quality and trustworthiness”.

‘Last week A-levels were allowed to increase by 2%, but for GCSEs this week schools have only been allowed a 1% increase. This will result in millions of aggrieved students and many more millions of aggrieved parents and grandparents. If you are in a hole, stop digging.

‘The GCSE results should be postponed for two weeks. The Government can then decide either to accept the predicted grades or invite heads to resubmit new predictions which should not exceed 3% of their performance in 2019.’

According to analysis shared on Friday, up to two million GCSE grades could also be graded down when results come out on August 20.

Education experts predict that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are likely to be the hardest hit.

Some students are planning legal action after seeing their grades fall due to the standardisation process.

Six pupils, supported by non-profit, membership organisation the Good Law Project, have taken initial steps towards a judicial review of Ofqual’s system, described by some as ‘ridiculous and insane’.

One of the students, known only as Michael, saw his grades fall from a predicted BBB to EEE, which left him ‘disheartened’.

Jolyon Maugham, director of the Good Law Project, said: ‘If you don’t go to a successful school you don’t deserve to succeed either – strip away all the science and that’s what’s delivered by the system Ofqual and Gavin Williamson have put in place.

‘It’s not fair, it’s not good enough, and hard-working students should not have to stand for it.’

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