August 7th 2023.
This summer is finally here and it marks a full ‘return to normal’ for A-level pupils. After two years of disruption caused by the Covid pandemic, the government has implemented a plan to bring A-level results back to pre-pandemic levels.
As a result, almost 100,000 fewer A and A* grades could be awarded to A-level students this year. According to Alan Smithers, Professor of Education at Buckingham University, around 59,000 fewer A* grades and 35,500 fewer A grades will be awarded this year as compared to 2020 and 2021.
This means that around 30,000 pupils in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland who would have expected A* grades last year won’t get them this year. Similarly, 20,000 pupils will miss out on A grades.
Prof Smithers believes that there will be widespread disappointment among school leavers this year due to the reduction in top grades. He explained that teacher assessment has given students a taste for awarding top grades, which they are likely to find hard to relinquish. He added that many parents are worried their children will miss out on university places that would have been available to them in pre-pandemic years.
The government is expecting the number of top grades to fall, however, Prof Smithers predicted that they won’t fall as far as the government asked. This is because of the disruption to the last school year caused by teacher strikes, and the practice of giving students in Wales and Northern Ireland some idea of the questions they would be asked.
The Department for Education has stressed that the number of top grades will not affect university admissions this year. An Ofqual spokeswoman also said that because of the disruption, grade protections are in place which mean a student should be just as likely to achieve a particular grade this year as they would have been before the pandemic.
What’s certain is that this summer marks the end of a two-year period of disruption, and a return to pre-pandemic levels. Although the number of top grades will fall, the government is ensuring that students are not disadvantaged and are given the opportunities they deserve.
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