Welsh minister orders GCSE regrade

Welsh Education Minister Leighton Andrews has issued a direction to examination board WJEC to re-grade this summer's English GCSE English language results for qualifications delivered in Wales.

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Gove: Welsh minister 'mistaken' to order regrade

by - Political Correspondent

In case you were in doubt, Michael Gove has made it crystal clear he does not agree with the Welsh education minister.

Yesterday, Leighton Andrews ordered the exam board WJEC to regrade its English language GCSE, after thousands of students were awarded D grades when they were expecting Cs.

But in front of the Education Select Committee this morning, the Education Secretary condemned what Mr Andrews did. He called it 'irresponsible', 'mistaken' and a 'regrettable political intervention' and told him to think again.

He even went as far as to say that it's children in Wales who've been disadvantaged because of this decision to upgrade marks.

I doubt many students in England will agree. So expect more legal challenges from schools and individuals in England.

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Gove will not take responsibility for GCSE grading row

by - Political Correspondent

Michael Gove has expressed his sympathy for students over the GCSE grading row but said he would not take responsibility for decisions made before he became the Education Secretary.

Gove said that it is the past government's fault for problems leading up to what has happened - for example, modularisation.

He added that he did not believe OFQUAL could have known that English gradings in January were over generous compared to June as the sample was too small.

Gove said he was ready to acknowledge mistakes that may have happened with OFQUAL, if he is presented with evidence to prove it.

Key events in GCSE gradings row

2010

  • New GCSE English syllabuses introduced with pupils sitting an exam and submitting two pieces of coursework (so-called 'controlled assessment') done under strict classroom supervision

2012

  • January: First students take GCSE exams via controlled assesment
  • June: Majority of students complete GCSE English exams
  • August 23: Proportion of GCSEs awarded grade C or above for the first time in history
  • August 24: Teachers union urges Michael Gove to establish independent inquiry
  • August 28: ASCL calls for students marked down in June to have grades reissued and based on January grade boundaries.
  • August 31: Ofqual publishes report saying January's exams were "graded generously" and that June exams were properly graded.
  • September 7: Schools unite to demand an inquiry

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Ofqual: Fair to allow students to re-sit exams

The head of exams regulator Ofqual, Glenys Stacey, told MPs told the Commons Education Committee that if January's grade boundaries had been applied to June's students, there would have been grade inflation of 5 or 6%.

What we have seen so far, and we have nothing to doubt it, and don't expect to doubt it, is that the June boundary setting occurred properly.

That does, as I say, leave us all in a very uncomfortable position, and we have thought carefully about fairness, and we keep on thinking about it. We do think the right thing to do is to offer a re-sit opportunity to those students.

Number 10: Not the job of ministers to intervene

Education Secretary Michael Gove briefed fellow Cabinet ministers on his plans to reform GCSEs this morning. Credit: Reuters

Education Secretary Michael Gove briefed ministers on his plans to reform GCSEs at this morning's meeting of Cabinet in 10 Downing Street. The Prime Minister's spokesman said an announcement on the plans is expected soon. He said:

"Obviously, we sympathise with students who didn't get the grades they needed. But we have an independent regulator. It is the job of that regulator to make sure standards are maintained over time and it is not the job of ministers to intervene in that."

Ofqual: Edexcel exam predictions were 'out of line'

Ofqual boss Glenys Stacey, told MPs that Ofqual wrote to the Edexcel and WJEC exam boards after their preliminary results were too generous. She said:

Edexcel - the preliminary results were high. If the provisional results had been left to stand I think we were looking at 6% or 7% inflation and I suspect there would have been a different outcry had that been the outcome. They were certainly out of line with the other awarding body results. There was a clear recognition that this really did need a challenge.

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