GCSE and A-level results have seen record grade inflation – here’s why that doesn’t matter
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GCSE and A-level results have seen record grade inflation – here’s why that doesn’t matter
Helena Gillespie, University of East Anglia
Exam results are upon us. After the 2020 debacle which saw exams cancelled due to COVID and the first set of algorithm-generated results quickly overturned following complaints of unfairness, what teachers and young people really needed in 2021 was confidence in the grading system.
The process for awarding marks was duly announced in March. And this time, as Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has reiterated, for one year only there would be no algorithm. Instead students would receive marks based on teacher estimates.
Now, results day just wouldn’t be the same without the perennial discussion of grade inflation, with commentators comparing the proportion of top grades being awarded. In pre-COVID times, this is seen to undermine the value of the qualifications in the long term. In 2021, though, concerns about grade inflation are misplaced, for three...
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