FOLLOWING more than two years of disruption due to the coronavirus pandemic, pupils in Oxfordshire are set to pick up their GCSE results tomorrow.
Last year, the proportion of GCSE entries awarded top grades surged to an all-time high after exams were cancelled for the second year in a row, with pupils instead given results determined by their teachers.
Overall, 28.9 per cent of UK GCSE entries were awarded one of the top grades, up by 2.7 per cent on 2020.
In 2019, when exams were last held, 20.8 per cent of pupils achieved at least a 7 or an A grade.
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Top grades are however expected to fall this year, with more pupils failing and a slight narrowing of girls’ lead over boys, reports suggest.
Rob Pavey, headteacher at Cheney School, said there will be ‘some fantastic individual results’ at the school in Headington.
He said: “Without having seen the results, of course, I’m a bit in the dark, but I am anticipating a very similar picture to A-levels.
“I think the exam boards will have done just what they said, with results being halfway between the highs of last year and the last year of ‘normal’ exams in 2019.
“I think this is fair, and will give our students the right progression to A-levels, college or apprenticeships.
“I anticipate Cheney’s results being positive and reflecting the sensible, measured hard work that students have put in.
“Just like a normal year, there will be some fantastic individual results, some nice surprises and a few disappointments, but we are used to this – that’s entirely normal for results days – and we have experienced staff on hand to help students who need some guidance about their next steps.”
Last year, for the second year in a row, exams were cancelled due to the pandemic.
Instead, candidates were given grades determined by teachers, with pupils only assessed on what they had been taught during the pandemic.
Teachers were required to consider a range of evidence when giving grades, including mock exams, coursework, and in-class assessments using questions by exam boards.
Headteachers had to submit a personal declaration that they believed grades to be accurate.
Schools were asked to provide samples of student work to exam boards, as part of quality assurance checks.
Random and targeted sample checks of evidence were also carried out after grades were submitted.
Last week, students collected their A-level results with grades dropping from the pandemic highs.
Girls still outperformed boys, while university admissions fell compared to last year, but are the second highest on record, according to UCAS.
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This story was written by Liam Rice, he joined the team in 2019 as a multimedia reporter.
Liam covers politics, travel and transport. He occasionally covers Oxford United.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Liam.rice@newsquest.co.uk
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