I am writing to you following the first publication of this year’s results data from the Joint Council for Qualifications and Ofqual. I know that many of your constituents will be receiving their results today, and later this week for GCSE and other level 2 course results days. I am therefore writing to share with you some additional information on the steps that the department, Ofqual and the Joint Council for Qualifications have taken to ensure that all young people feel supported to move on to the next stage of their lives with confidence.
Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate students on their amazing achievements this year. For all young people, results day should be a celebration of the hard work, resilience, and adaptability that they have shown over the last 18 months. Students can and should feel proud of their results this year, no matter the outcome.
As you will know, the decision not to hold exams this year was not taken lightly. Schools’ and colleges’ ability to teach the entire curriculum and provide the usual exam preparation support was unavoidably impacted by the pandemic. The variable disruption faced by institutions and students meant that exams this year could not be held in a way that was fair. This year, students have been awarded grades determined by their teachers and based on a range of evidence. Teacher assessed grades have allowed results to be based on the knowledge students have acquired based on what they have been taught, recognising the variability in learning that some young people have experienced.
I would like thank students and teachers, school and college leaders, and support staff for their hard work. In the absence of exams, teachers were best placed to determine grades that reflect the hard work of their students. Teachers, schools and colleges have done an excellent job in using their collective experience to assess students in 2021.
As expected, the arrangements for awarding qualifications this year and the impact of the pandemic have meant that, overall, results look slightly different compared to previous years in which exams have gone ahead. Overall, 88.4% of A level grades awarded this year are A* to C. This is compared to 87.8% in 2020.
The pattern of results for vocational and technical qualifications across all types has stayed broadly the same for all levels, with no meaningful changes in the award of top grades compared to 2020. Though there is some variability in different qualification types, this is within normal patterns and more pronounced with small cohorts (where cohort variation has a larger effect).
Given the uncertain path of the pandemic and different levels of disruption experienced, teachers were given the flexibility to draw from a range of evidence to support their judgements and only assess students on what they had been taught. Teachers were best placed to make professional judgements on individual cases, including in cases where students were on the border of two grades. For those achieving the highest A Level grades, they are our most capable and independent students who may have felt the disruption to learning less keenly.
We rightly trusted teachers, and the quality assurance process demonstrated the extent to which teachers took the process of awarding grades seriously and followed the guidance and training provided.
Record number of Higher Education students
A record number of students are expected to progress to university this year, taking the next steps in their lives towards securing exciting and rewarding careers after an extraordinary and challenging period. Students and staff have worked tremendously hard in the last year in these unprecedented circumstances.
This year, we have seen more applicants to certain courses, particularly medicine and dentistry, meeting the terms of their offer. As in previous years, the Government has worked closely with the higher education sector ahead of results day to ensure as many students as possible can progress to Higher Education if they get the grades they need.
On 5 August the Government announced that medical and dentistry schools across England will get additional funding to expand courses for the 2021/22 academic year. Caps on medical and dentistry places have been adjusted so that more students than ever will have the opportunity to study on these courses in 2021/22, and in the long-term help boost our future NHS workforce.
The Minister for Universities, Michelle Donelan MP, has also worked with UCAS, the Office for Students and medical and dental school partners to ensure there is a system that matches students to unfulfilled places at medical and dental schools with space.
In anticipation of a greater interest in places this year on popular courses that are key to the country’s recovery from the pandemic, we have provided up to £10 million in additional grant funding to universities through the Office for Students to help them to increase capacity in medical, dentistry, nursing, STEM and other high-cost subjects.
Choices for students
The last 18 months have been uniquely challenging for students, as their education has been disrupted by the pandemic. We have put in place a range of measures to ensure that students this year have access to more choices than ever before. Where a student is disappointed with their results, we have encouraged them to talk to their school, college or prospective university to discuss available options, which include autumn exams, Post 16 and 18 technical options, including Traineeships, T Levels,
Apprenticeships, Kickstart and Higher Technical Qualifications.
As is the case every year, some students looking to enter Higher Education may have narrowly missed out on the grades their preferred provider has asked for. Even if students don't get the grades they needed, their preferred university may still offer them a place. Also, just as they do in any normal year, UCAS will be helping thousands of students to find places through Clearing if they need or choose to explore other options once they’ve received their grades. Last year 83,000 students secured places through Clearing and it is an excellent pathway for students to explore their options.
While Higher Education opens many doors for those who study at this level, it is by no means the right option for everyone, including those with the highest grades. There are lots of choices out there for students to get where they want to go. I encourage students to look at the range of choices available on the National Careers Service website or through UCAS’s Clearing, Clearing Plus or Career Finder tool for apprenticeship opportunities.
This year, there will also be a fair and accessible appeals system in place for students who believe there has been an error in their grade. The department and Ofqual have always been clear that the appeals system is there to correct errors not identified during earlier parts of the process. A student’s grade can go up, stay the same or go down on appeal and students should therefore consider carefully if appealing is the right course of action for them and only submit an appeal if they believe an error has been made. The Joint Council for Qualifications have now published their student guide to appeals, which can be
found here: https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/JCQ-Student-Appeals-G…
I want to ensure that students have as many opportunities to progress as possible. This includes allowing for students who may wish to improve their teacher assessed grade to sit an exam in 2021. Ofqual has therefore confirmed that in the Autumn, students will be able to enter exams in all GCSE and A level subjects and maths and science AS level subjects. The autumn series exams is open to any student who receives a teacher-assessed grade this summer, or who an exam board reasonably believes would have entered the summer 2021 exams in the subject, had they taken place, including private candidates.
The government is also providing additional funding this year for those year 13 students who have been most severely impacted by the pandemic to repeat a term or year of their studies. This will be in exceptional circumstances and students should discuss with their school or college whether this would be the best option for them.
Further support
The National Careers Service is again offering practical support and advice to help students decide what to do next. Students who don’t get the grades they expect can, as always, contact the helpline for advice about what’s next and for further wellbeing and mental health support. The contact number is 0800 100 900.
Ofqual’s public inquiry line, which can be provided to constituents, opened at 8am this morning. The contact number is 0300 303 3344, or students can also email public.enquiries@ofqual.gov.uk.
Future cohorts
I realise many of you, and your constituents, may have questions about awarding grades in 2022. It remains the government’s firm policy position that exams and other formal assessments are the fairest way of assessing students, and that it is in the best interests of students for exams to return to normal as soon as possible. It is also our firm intention that exams and assessments should return to normal in academic year 2022/23.
A joint consultation by the Department for Education and Ofqual was launched on 12 July, seeking views on the proposed changes to exams in summer 2022 in light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students entering these qualifications. The consultation closed on 1 August, and decisions will be announced early in the autumn term.
A separate consultation was conducted by DfE and Ofqual on arrangements for awarding Vocational and Technical qualifications in 2021/22, the response to which was published on 6 August.
Yours ever
The Rt Hon Gavin Williamson MP, Education Secretary