Message about this year’s GCSE and A level results

 

The results this year are a testament to the hard work and perseverance of students and their parents over many years.

 

We wish to have the opportunity to explain how results were determined this year. As you know, this year’s GCSE results had to be awarded differently from usual, after exams were unable to go ahead due to Covid-19. Schools and colleges were asked to use their professional experience to make a fair and objective judgement of the grades they believed a student would have achieved had they sat their exams this year, and to submit these centre-assessed grades (CAGs) to the relevant exam board.

 

Groups of teachers and leaders in each subject worked together to discuss and agree the centre-assessed grade for each student. They considered a wide range of available evidence, including class work, mock exams and other records of student performance.

 

The intention was that the exam boards would then moderate the CAGs, to check that schools and colleges had approached this task consistently, before providing students with their final calculated grades. Unfortunately, as you will no doubt be aware, the method they used to do this proved problematic, and was likely to lead to many grades being unfairly downgraded.

 

The government therefore made the decision that GCSE and A level students would be awarded whichever was higher for each subject – their CAG or their calculated grade. This is what the grades you’re receiving today (GCSE students) are based on.

 

In the first instance contact exams@daca.uk.com  with any enquiries about exams. This week the sixth form team and SLT here at DACA will support and advise you on any next steps with you as individuals.  

 

If you want to resit any of your exams, the current plan is for a full series of exams to take place in November. We don’t yet have full details of how this will work, but please let us know if that’s something you’d like to discuss.

 

Congratulations again for everything you’ve achieved in this most difficult of years.