A Level results come in short of predictions, yet Education Secretary claims 2% grade increase

By Harriet Piercy

Updated Sep 17, 2020 at 04:35 PM

Reading time: 2 minutes

8242

School exams in the UK, including GCSEs and A-Levels were cancelled this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, which meant students were forced to rely on their predicted grades. However, these predicted grades were lowered far below what was expected, and students are confused, angry and disappointed.

“My future has been set back completely,” says Abbi Fitzgerald, who received a distinction* in her engineering BTec, which is the highest grade achievable, but her A level results arrived with a D in art and maths and an E in physics, and now she cannot attend her desired engineering course at Durham university. Fitzgerald said that “I had my heart set on Durham and it’s now not an option for clearing because there’s no clearing for my course.”

Teachers submitted the predicted grades to the exam boards and ranked their pupils based on who they thought would do best, which the exam boards then analysed alongside the data recorded for each pupil from previous years in order to adjust the marks accurately. Head teachers have spoken out on the unfairness of the results, and records show that private schools in England have seen the biggest rise in top A level grades, to which Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said, “Something has obviously gone horribly wrong with this year’s exam results, nearly 40% of young people have had their grades marked down and that’s thousands of young people whose opportunities could have been dashed.”

Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary for England has asked exam boards to encourage schools and students to appeal against their results if they fear disadvantaged students were being affected, saying that “There is sometimes a danger where you have an exceptionally high-performing child in a low-performing school to be in a situation where they don’t get the grades that they want to.”

In contrast, figures from UCAS, the admissions service, show that out of the 358,860 applicants there has been a 2.9 per cent increase in the acceptance to UK based degrees compared with 2019. Out of those applications, 316,730 have been accepted on to their first choice, which is a 2.7% increase from 2019 too.

Education correspondent, Sean Coughlan gave an analysis of the data, summarising that those trying to get into university may find that they are able to get accepted with lower grades than in previous years, which is good news alongside the appeal process for the students who didn’t receive the grades they had expected.

The overall state of confusion must not result in students losing their hope, to which Jeremy Clarkson left a tweet of encouragement (which also led to ‘N and a T’ trending on Twitter. You do the adding here).

Whether success to you is riches or wealth of experience, if you want to live in a luxurious home in the Cotswolds or not—is besides the point, there is enough evidence out there that you don’t need the best results in school to do well in life, no matter where you come from, but it is crucial that every student is examined equally in school exams and given a fair opportunity for higher education.

Keep On Reading

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Elon Musk’s grandfather’s far-right ties: Exploring the roots of the billionaire’s radical beliefs

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

France holds largest child abuse trial in history on former surgeon accused of abusing 300 young victims

By Abby Amoakuh

Young girls are being lured into drug trade with promises of botox, lip fillers, and makeup products

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Australian erotic novelist charged with child abuse material offenses after backlash over latest book

By Abby Amoakuh

Did The Summer I Turned Pretty star Gavin Casalegno cheat on his ex-girlfriend Larsen Thompson?

By Abby Amoakuh

Harry Potter reboot hit with racist backlash for casting Black actor Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape

By Abby Amoakuh

Did Meta just force everyone to follow Donald Trump and JD Vance on Instagram?

By Abby Amoakuh

Scarlett Johansson hits back against deepfake antisemitism campaign condemning Kanye West

By Alma Fabiani

How PUBG MOBILE’s Ptopia Design Project and World of Wonder are changing the game

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

From Top G to PM? Andrew Tate’s Bruv Party launch sparks outrage

By Charlie Sawyer

Unhinged podcast’s viral TikTok exposes how sexist phrases reflect men’s failures

By Abby Amoakuh

The White Lotus star Sam Nivola speaks out about gay incest scene amid calls for boycott

By Abby Amoakuh

Jacob Elordi divides the internet with new beard and long hair, setting off different theories

By Abby Amoakuh

Why are people claiming that Mark Zuckerberg killed JonBenét Ramsey and Jeffrey Epstein?

By Abby Amoakuh

Is OnlyFans star Bonnie Blue married? Everything you need to know about the adult star’s secret hubby

By Abby Amoakuh

Is Millie Bobby Brown pregnant? Fans speculate after star spotted buying diapers and baby supplies

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

What is the Baby Barnet cold case? TikToker’s AncestryDNA test leads to her grandma’s arrest

By Charlie Sawyer

The 3 wildest fan theories about Severance season 2

By Abby Amoakuh

Everybody’s talking about these White Lotus season 3 theories, and so should you

By Ilia Sdralli

Why people hate Taylor Swift’s fashion sense (and why they’re wrong)