Plans to give A level and GCSE students their predicted grades in doubt over racism fears

PLANS to give out exam results this summer were plunged into doubt yesterday as the equalities watchdog warned they could be racist.

Over a million teens are set to get their A Levels and GCSEs based on predicted grades because of the Covid lockdown.

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But the equalities watchdog said the system could be unfair to ethnic minority pupils because teachers can be guilty of "race bias" when predicting results.

Disabled kids, and those with special educational needs could also be unfairly treated, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said.

It is demanding exam bosses at Ofqual urgently tweak their plan to beef up a pupil’s right to appeal their grades to avoid discrimination.

The EHRC warned: “Research suggests there may be patterns of conscious or unconscious race bias when predicting grades.

“With this in mind, there is a danger that predicted grading may have an adverse impact on some disadvantaged groups.”

Bosses at exam board Ofqual have said students can appeal their grades if they think the wrong data was used to calculate them.

But they will not be able to appeal simply because they disagree with their teachers’ predicted grades.

The EHRC demanded urgent changes, including giving pupils the chance to appeal their grades if they think they have been discriminated against.

The watchdog also said the Department for Education should issue guidance to schools on how to dish out predicted grades “to minimise the risk of conscious or unconscious bias”.

And they want Ofqual to publish a report assessing how different types of students fared under the system in case discrimination is spotted.

David Isaac, chairman of the EHRC, said: “If we don’t get this right the future of some disadvantaged young people is severely at risk.

An Ofqual spokesman said: “We do recognise there are concerns about the potential for students to be disadvantaged by this approach and published an equality impact assessment, informed by a review of research literature on bias in teacher assessments, when our consultation was launched.”

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