Cancel GCSEs and A Levels in 2021

The Government should cancel GCSEs and A Levels in 2021 due to the disruption of Covid-19. By the time students go back to normal learning, 6 months will have passed since schools were closed to most pupils. This has already had a huge impact on the studying of so many.

Students in the UK have already missed hundreds of hours of learning since 23rd March. This has had a huge effect. Some pupils don’t have the essential resources: a working computer, textbooks, stationary, etc. Many don’t have a proper learning environment, therefore results will most certainly not reflect the true efforts of pupils. Hence why I am writing to the Government to cancel GCSEs and A Levels and provide predicted grades to show the true reflections of students across the country.

We recognise that Year 11 and 13 students due to take exams in 2021, and their parents, carers and teachers, are concerned about the disruption to education caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. The government is determined to do everything possible to ensure that no student is prevented from fulfilling their potential due to the pandemic.

We continue to believe that exams are the best and fairest way of judging students’ performance and the Government is committed to GCSE, AS and A level exams taking place next year. The Department has been working closely with Ofqual, the exam boards and groups representing teachers, schools, colleges and students, to consider our approach to exams and other assessments for 2021.

In July, Ofqual ran a consultation on a range of possible measures, with the overriding aim of ensuring that exams and assessments are as fair as possible. Ofqual published its decisions (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposed-changes-to-the-assessment-of-gcses-as-and-a-levels-in-2021) on the proposed changes on 3 August. These decisions include adaptations in a number of subjects, for example, removing the requirement to record the spoken language assessment in GCSE English language, and allowing GCSE students to observe, rather than undertake, practical science work. In some subjects with a high volume of content - GCSE history, ancient history and English literature – Ofqual confirmed that exam boards should change how they assess students next year by allowing a choice of topics in the exams. For GCSE, AS and A level geography, there are changes to the requirements relating to fieldwork, both to free up teaching time and to take account of the fact that public health restrictions may make it difficult for students to fulfil the requirements next year. A full list of all subject-level adaptations to exams and assessments in 2021 can be found at Appendix A in Ofqual’s decisions document (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposed-changes-to-the-assessment-of-gcses-as-and-a-levels-in-2021). On 12 October, the Government confirmed that no further subject-level changes to exams and assessments will be made for GCSEs, AS and A levels. This confirmation gives teachers, school leaders and pupils clarity on what will be assessed in exams next summer. The government also announced the decision to delay most GCSE, AS and A level exams next year by 3 weeks to free up additional teaching time.