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Open letter from TSR on behalf of students

Following the announcement from the governments across the UK this afternoon that Centre Assessed Grades (CAGs) will be used instead of the original calculated grades. We write this letter on behalf of students who have faced constant change, upset and upheaval while awaiting their exam grades in 2020. We will amplify their voices loud and clear. We will do everything we can to ensure they get the support and answers they deserve.

The grading scandal of 2020 has culminated with a scattergun series of misfired announcements, an A-level results day where even Ofqual didn’t know about the appeals process, and a situation where GCSE students are dealing with another last-minute announcement about their future and there are still so many unknowns for students, including BTECs, year 10s, year 12s and private candidates.

On top of which, we are yet to see any commitment to dedicated support of students’ mental health and wellbeing - neither in general terms, nor for students who have been negatively impacted by the calculated grades process.

We are calling for key decision makers to put students first, where they belong.

Now the government has committed to a u-turn on exam calculations, we are seeing relief, but coupled with serious confusion. In the hour following the announcement we saw hundreds of comments on our official thread, and numerous questions within the first 20 minutes:

So like, how can I appeal my CAG because I got given B when I never got less than A before?

Does anyone think will affect the October exams? ...Or Ofqual might just scrap the exams all together?

This decision isn't designed to help us, it's designed to get everybody to shut up and stop complaining. You can appeal on the grounds of teacher bias, but you won't succeed.

But now Universities will be oversubscribed?

We also acknowledge that those important pillars who usually provide students with essential guidance and support, have also not been given the information they need in order to do so.

From Ofqual scrambling to pull together a mock appeals process after Education Minister, Gavin Williamson’s, late night announcement, seemingly with a complete lack of consultation with educational experts or students themselves; to UCAS who had no prior warning about the changes; to the universities who were unable to respond to thousands of students; to teachers and parents.

There is no better example of this than today’s announcement, where, as far as we’re aware, no universities, schools or colleges have been given any information to support their students around another change in advance. We are yet again unable to see how decision-makers are working with those who are most directly affected, the students, who face potentially changing their path without nearly enough clarity and practical guidance.

We work closely with organisations in the education sector by sharing students’ experiences and voices. A key part of this relationship is also to share the information these organisations give us with students to provide much-needed guidance.

With today’s announcements, we know The Student Room is needed by students more than ever.

Standing alongside students, we call for;

•

Urgent clarity regarding grading in 2020 for all students (including impact on BTEC students and private candidates)

•

Urgent clarity for students with or without uni places in 2020

•

Urgent clarifications regarding ramifications for Year 12s and Year 10s

•

Urgent dedicated support for the mental health and wellbeing of students who have been negatively impacted by the grading scandal in 2020

At The Student Room, we demand that the voice of the young people impacted by these decisions are heard. We demand that students are consulted on reforms that impact their futures and crucially, we want to be part of the solution.

As such, we desire to work with Government bodies, exams boards and education providers to ensure that the student voice is at the heart of future policy decisions.

Sincerely,

The Student Room

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 20

CoolCavy

Chat Forum Helper, Life & Style Forum Helper, Study Forum Helper

21

Wonderful letter :heart:

Reply 21

04MR17

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

22

Original post

by hjhsdkvbt

Dont you think a lot of people which wouldn't have got the grades will be getting the grades because they did their a levels this year? I defo know a few people in that category- I am in no way talking about myself.
But i guess you can't just stop all those which were gonna get the grades but got lowered because of their school so they had to do this, even if they were a much smaller percentage.

I think Ofqual's original algorithm (perhaps tweaked a bit in my view) would have been a satisfactory solution to the problem. What I can't abide and what this open letter criticises, is the misinformation, leaks, lack of communication and blatant lying that has characterised the announcement of policy changes in this whole saga.

Reply 22

SnowMiku

17

PRSOM

Reply 23

hjhsdkvbt

13

Original post

by 04MR17

I think Ofqual's original algorithm (perhaps tweaked a bit in my view) would have been a satisfactory solution to the problem. What I can't abide and what this open letter criticises, is the misinformation, leaks, lack of communication and blatant lying that has characterised the announcement of policy changes in this whole saga.

Yeah I agreed it was handled badly but Im willing to let it go because I was really stressed mid-feb and didn't have to write exams :biggrin:

Do you think the idea of socially distanced exams should have been looked in to more considering the importance of these exams and how it could have slightly increased risk of infection and been way more expensive? Or do you think that idea is stupid?

Reply 24

04MR17

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

22

Original post

by hjhsdkvbt

Yeah I agreed it was handled badly but Im willing to let it go because I was really stressed mid-feb and didn't have to write exams :biggrin:

Do you think the idea of socially distanced exams should have been looked in to more considering the importance of these exams and how it could have slightly increased risk of infection and been way more expensive? Or do you think that idea is stupid?

I think no idea is stupid if it solves a problem, but we should be looking forwards and not back.

Reply 25

hjhsdkvbt

13

Original post

by 04MR17

I think no idea is stupid if it solves a problem, but we should be looking forwards and not back.

Yeah I got my firm :biggrin:

I just wanted to see your view on that idea - would it have been worth reducing grade inflation, stress for year 13's by having socially distanced exams even if it caused higher risk of infection?

Reply 26

04MR17

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

22

Original post

by hjhsdkvbt

Yeah I got my firm :biggrin:

I just wanted to see your view on that idea - would it have been worth reducing grade inflation, stress for year 13's by having socially distanced exams even if it caused higher risk of infection?

I think there would need to be a lot more detail for me to commit one way or another to such a proposal and that this conversation might be better placed in educational debate. :smile:

Reply 27

hjhsdkvbt

13

Original post

by 04MR17

I think there would need to be a lot more detail for me to commit one way or another to such a proposal and that this conversation might be better placed in educational debate. :smile:

Ah I see

Reply 28

å¦ç”Ÿã®çˆ¶

19

Thank you for writing this on everyone's behalf. Accords well with the Zeitgeist.

Diolch.

Reply 29

Guru Jason

21

I feel bad for a lot of the people going straight in to work from this year. I dont think any employers are gonna take any grade given this year seriously. That said, im glad everyone everyone will now be getting better grade, especially those going to uni who may not have got in based on the previous **** show this government had.

Reply 30

CoolCavy

Chat Forum Helper, Life & Style Forum Helper, Study Forum Helper

21

Original post

by Guru Jason

I feel bad for a lot of the people going straight in to work from this year. I dont think any employers are gonna take any grade given this year seriously. That said, im glad everyone everyone will now be getting better grade, especially those going to uni who may not have got in based on the previous **** show this government had.

Tbh the bigger concern for people going straight into work is the recession lockdown has caused, hardly anywhere is hiring and they are receiving 100s (sometimes 1000s) of applications for a single post :redface:

Reply 31

Guru Jason

21

Original post

by CoolCavy

Tbh the bigger concern for people going straight into work is the recession lockdown has caused, hardly anywhere is hiring and they are receiving 100s (sometimes 1000s) of applications for a single post :redface:

Sadly the case of everyone but especially harder on the younger who just dont have the experience. Im not one for saying just go to uni but i think this year, it seemslike the best available option.

Reply 32

CoolCavy

Chat Forum Helper, Life & Style Forum Helper, Study Forum Helper

21

Original post

by Guru Jason

Sadly the case of everyone but especially harder on the younger who just dont have the experience. Im not one for saying just go to uni but i think this year, it seemslike the best available option.

Yeh i definitely agree, i graduated this year and in a way i wish i was graduating next year. Yes there are going to be changes to uni courses because of social distancing but its a safe environment to try and ride out this covid situation :redface:

Reply 33

hjhsdkvbt

13

I think they could have come up with a better system if they decided to give it more thought.

Reply 34

IQuitTSR

21

The whole system was already a mess pre-covid. Covid just showed the alarming extent of that mess. There should have been preparations for any eventuality.

Reply 35

GrandMorph

13

Sums everything up pretty well :colone:

Reply 36

Fullofsurprises

20

It's the lack of consultation and obtaining expert advice that bugs me. It would appear that there is only one policy dominating the current government and that is 'Cummings knows best'. Unfortunately, he appears all too often to have no clue.

We also need to see the algorithm that was used publicly so that it can be examined by programmers and educationalists.

Reply 37

Oxford Mum

21

I just wish the government would have thought more about the students when their policies were implemented.

Reply 38

username4406682

19

I endorse this letter and would like to add that as someone who will be doing GCSE's in a few years that the policy of giving people their predicted grades will just lead to grade inflation and is an unfair privilege for year 11's.

Reply 39

RoyalSheepy

20

Original post

by Bang Outta Order

Lockdown or not, you have to properly earn your way into uni. You lot really can't cry, you didn't even sit exams. Your grades mean nothing really on that foot alone. You're getting off lucky here, still able to apply to uni and work without sitting exams hahahaha keep quiet.

Students this year had no choice when the exam boards had aborted their exams and instead used an algorithm to predict students' grades - there's a bit of a difference. This doesn't prove a student's full potential or actual grades they'd get in exams. Some may get better than they were getting in MOCK exams and some may get worse. Students this year have been completely cheated and I feel for every single student which is in the position where they can't get into University this year as they haven't been given the chance to show their abilities.

I think your post is bang out of order, no pun intended, as you're looking at it from a one sided perspective. A global pandemic is no one's fault except those who don't respect the rules to minimise the rate of infection.

Open letter from TSR on behalf of students

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