Students in England sitting GCSEs and A-levels next summer will be given advance notice of exam topics and allowed to take in formula sheets and other aids, the government has announced, as part of a package of measures designed to offset learning disruption caused by the pandemic.
The education secretary, Gavin Williamson, confirmed that grading would be more generous, in line with last summer’s significantly improved results. Contingency papers will be available for students who miss exams for Covid-related reasons, allowing them to sit alternative papers in July. Teacher-informed assessment will only be used in the most extreme cases.
Headteachers and teaching unions welcomed the announcement but criticised its timing, saying it had come too late. Last week, one in five secondary pupils was absent from school for Covid-related reasons. The Department for Education (DfE) is establishing an advisory group to look at disparities in learning experiences across the country.
The package also includes a delay to the start of exams by three weeks, expansion of special consideration measures, and suspension of graded Ofsted inspections until after Easter. In primary schools, key stage 1 tests will be replaced by teacher assessment for a year, while the key stage 2 grammar, punctuation and spelling test will be dropped.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the measures were not perfect but acknowledged that various options had been discussed exhaustively. Paul Whiteman of the National Association of Head Teachers said the government had moved significantly towards the profession.
