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Getty ImagesColleges in England are demanding a assessment of an “distinctive and unfair grade boundary enhance” in an English language GCSE examination designed for resit college students.
They say an 11-mark enhance of the boundary wanted to cross this summer time will imply extra college students having to resit once more, including to monetary pressures on faculties.
In a letter to examination board Pearson, 30 faculty leaders referred to as for the boundary wanted to cross the GCSE English language 2.0 examination to be introduced down.
Pearson mentioned it was “assured within the grades issued”.
The faculties say they signify practically 48,000 college students who’ve been “negatively impacted by the sudden and late determination” to alter the grade boundary this 12 months.
GCSE grading in England was all the time anticipated to be much like 2023 ranges this 12 months.
College leaders mentioned they’d anticipated solely slight modifications to grade boundaries – and that the 11-mark enhance has left “many college students an entire grade poorer than had they sat the examination in 2023”.
“This 12 months’s punitive method to grading… means many extra college students will now have to resit their GCSE English as soon as once more, many college students shall be rejected from college, some college students won’t be returning to schooling, and there shall be important monetary pressure added to any faculty working the English language 2.0 qualification,” the letter mentioned.
“This worsens an already tough state of affairs for a lot of faculties already working at or close to most capability to facilitate the dimensions of GCSE English and maths resits crucial in recent times.”
The faculty leaders mentioned 20.7% of scholars sitting the GCSE English language 2.0 examination achieved a grade 4 or above this summer time, in contrast with 37.4% final summer time.
They need Pearson to assessment and scale back the grade boundary enhance, to supply free re-marks and resits for these affected, and to refund examination entry charges.
Pearson mentioned grade boundaries can often “range greater than anticipated, for instance the place the design of a paper has modified or following an in depth assessment of the standard of labor in a topic”.
“We have undertaken extraordinarily thorough and detailed work to make sure the requirements required in GCSE English 2.0 are consistent with the nationwide GCSE English language commonplace, and we’re assured within the grades issued,” it mentioned.
It added that it could “proceed to be in contact instantly with each college and faculty to offer full assist.”
Ofqual, England’s exams regulator, mentioned: “It is vital that grades for all GCSEs are honest and mirror a comparable commonplace. Students will be assured of their grades this 12 months.”
It added: “Ofqual understands the considerations expressed by the signatories of the letter, and we proceed to watch carefully the actions that Pearson has taken.”
In England, college students want maths and English GCSEs at grade 4 or above to qualify for additional research – though they’ll research for resits alongside their new topic selections.
Colleges say they already needed to increase class sizes and rent examination halls to deal with an increase within the variety of college students resitting final November and this summer time – due to pupil inhabitants progress and grades being introduced right down to 2019 ranges in England final 12 months.
They must put together for much more resit college students this 12 months, with information on GCSE outcomes day suggesting:
- 182,000 16-year-olds might want to resit English language
- 176,000 might want to resit maths
Colin Booth, chief govt of Luminate Education Group, a gaggle of schooling suppliers within the Leeds City area, mentioned the grade boundary enhance for the GCSE English language 2.0 examination “undermined” the resit coverage.
“Students labored laborious all 12 months and, on a like for like foundation, improved their marks within the examination considerably this 12 months, however nonetheless obtained a grade 3 in each years,” he mentioned.
“We at the moment are having to additionally clarify to those younger folks why they’ve to check and take the examination once more in November.”
