GCSE & A-Level students can sit missed exams in Autumn – but can’t challenge teacher’s grades
GCSE and A-Level students can sit their exams in the Autumn if they don't like the grades their teachers give them, the exam regulator has confirmed.
But students' grades from the autumn series will be based on exams alone with no coursework - except in art and design qualifications, Ofqual said.
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This year's exams were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and instead teachers will look at previous exams and other work from the past year to give them a grade.
The watchdog has also said today that pupils will not be allowed to challenge the grade their teachers give them, or their position in the school's rank order.
Ofqual has confirmed that exam boards must make exams available in all the GCSE, AS and A-level qualifications that they had planned to run in the summer - but in the autumn term.
It said: "Any appeal would have to be undertaken by someone better placed than the student's teachers to judge their likely grade if exams had taken place - in the unique circumstances of this summer, we do not believe there is any such person."
A school or college can still appeal to the exam board if it believes it made an error.
And exams boards must still look into allegations of "serious malpractice" raised by students who are concerned their teacher was biased against them.
A-level pupils will get their results on August 13 and GCSE students will be given grades on August 20.
All pupils are set to return to school from September.
Under the new plans published today, schools in England are set to use “year bubbles” to get every child back learning this September.
They have been urged to separate entire year groups with staggered start and finish times to keep them apart during breaks and lunch.
The move would see bigger schools enact bubbles of 30, with entire classes kept together to keep them safe.
The advice also demands the "bubbles" stay together on public transport when coming into school.
It says the approach to travel should "align as far as possible with the principles underpinning the system of controls" followed by the schools.
Secondary school pupils could be isolated in their year groups - limiting their interactions with students of different ages.
Despite the new measures, the Government has told schools to focus on core subjects, with a full curriculum possibly not back til 2022.
Previously the Government had said they wanted all primary kids to be back in the classrooms for a month before the summer, but this plan was dropped after an outcry from schools and unions.
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Schools in Wales went back yesterday, but only a third are allowed in at once. They are expected to see their teachers for just a handful of times before the summer break.
Kids will return to schools in Scotland from August.
A DfE spokesperson said: "Pupils have been returning to school since 1 June - we’ve already given primary schools the flexibility to invite more children back if they have the capacity, and 1.5 million children were in school at the end of last week.
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“We’ve said we want to see all children back at school in September – returning to full primary and secondary class sizes in a safe way.
“We continue to engage with school leaders, teaching unions and the wider sector about our plans and will publish full details later this week.”
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