OT: WELSH GCSE AND A LEVEL EXAMS TO BE CANCELLED FOR 2021

Wales' GCSE, AS and A-level exams in summer 2021 are to be cancelled, with grades based on classroom assessments.


Education Minister Kirsty Williams said it was impossible to guarantee a level playing field for exams due to the ongoing impact of the Covid pandemic.

Head teachers would work on a "national approach" to ensure consistency, she said.

Assessments will be done under teacher supervision, and will begin in the second half of the spring term.

They will be externally set and marked but delivered within the classroom.

She added cancelling exams would also give time for teaching to continue through the summer term.

Teachers would have flexibility on when to take the assessments, within the "context of results timelines".

However one teaching union questioned whether the announcement would mean ending up with "exams by stealth".

Why have the exams been cancelled?

Confirming the decision, Ms Williams said: "The well-being of learners and ensuring fairness across the system is central in our decision making process.

"We remain optimistic that the public health situation will improve, but the primary reason for my decision is down to fairness; the time learners will spend in schools and colleges will vary hugely and, in this situation, it is impossible to guarantee a level playing field for exams to take place.

"We have consulted with universities across the UK and they have confirmed that they are used to accepting many different types of qualifications."

Ms Williams said it remained a "highly challenging year" but the announcement would remove pressures from learners and provide "clear time for teaching and learning".


What's the view from the classroom?

A-level student Cerys Harris, 17, from Rhyl, has already had four weeks of self-isolation this term because of cases in her "bubble".

She wants to start a degree next September in England.

Although the education minister said universities are familiar with different qualifications, Cerys said she did not feel reassured, and was looking forward to more detail as to how the system is going to work.

"I've taken from [the announcement] that exams are cancelled, but it's not very straightforward," she said.


Fellow Rhyl A-level student Jonathon Dawes, who studies at Coleg Cambria and is also a member of the Welsh Youth Parliament, said he welcomed the decision, but was looking forward to getting more detail.

"I'm looking forward to more guidance coming out to make sure it's as fair and transparent as possible, to make sure pupils get the grades they deserve and it's not different from school to school."


Jess Foster, 17, who is taking her A-levels at Bassaleg School in Newport, was "immediately relieved".
"I stress out about things personally a lot. To hear that taken off me instantly just felt really good," she said.

Why have the exams been cancelled?

Confirming the decision, Ms Williams said: "The well-being of learners and ensuring fairness across the system is central in our decision making process.

"We remain optimistic that the public health situation will improve, but the primary reason for my decision is down to fairness; the time learners will spend in schools and colleges will vary hugely and, in this situation, it is impossible to guarantee a level playing field for exams to take place.

"We have consulted with universities across the UK and they have confirmed that they are used to accepting many different types of qualifications."

Ms Williams said it remained a "highly challenging year" but the announcement would remove pressures from learners and provide "clear time for teaching and learning".


What's the view from the classroom?

A-level student Cerys Harris, 17, from Rhyl, has already had four weeks of self-isolation this term because of cases in her "bubble".

She wants to start a degree next September in England.

Although the education minister said universities are familiar with different qualifications, Cerys said she did not feel reassured, and was looking forward to more detail as to how the system is going to work.

"I've taken from [the announcement] that exams are cancelled, but it's not very straightforward," she said.


Fellow Rhyl A-level student Jonathon Dawes, who studies at Coleg Cambria and is also a member of the Welsh Youth Parliament, said he welcomed the decision, but was looking forward to getting more detail.

"I'm looking forward to more guidance coming out to make sure it's as fair and transparent as possible, to make sure pupils get the grades they deserve and it's not different from school to school."


Jess Foster, 17, who is taking her A-levels at Bassaleg School in Newport, was "immediately relieved".
"I stress out about things personally a lot. To hear that taken off me instantly just felt really good," she said.

I bet she is happy not having to sit an actual exam to gain a qualification

More dumbing down from the WAG might as well just give everyone an A

I’m a bit confused to be honest about what’s actually being cancelled?

“Assessments will be done under teacher supervision, and will begin in the second half of the spring term.
They will be externally set and marked but delivered within the classroom.“

So if the assessments are externally set and marked it sounds like exams aren’t actually cancelled but they’re just being sat in a classroom instead of exam halls over a longer period of time, half a term instead of the usual 2-3 week exam period at the end of the year.

I’m guessing this is because different schools would’ve have missed different modules and sections of work so the teachers will have a say in which part of the “exams” can be sat or not. Also means schools that need longer to finish teaching have extra teaching time?

All a bit vague at the moment though.

Hope this does not come back to haunt Education!

Are any teachers going to mark down any pupil with a result that they should really get? No obviously not.

The only way this will be found out is when businesses in the future say the standard of pupils who have left are not up to the marks they received as they can’t do the jobs.

Teachers won’t worry they’ve been paid and can hide behind the politics of it all.

Examinations have given people a base to start from.

I wonder what will happen when pupils are a bit older and working in an important career and have to take internal examinations! Will they be up to it or cry woof?

Imagine going for a major operation to find that your surgeon hadn’t taken exams and only had course work to cover them?

Hope this does not come back to haunt Education!

Are any teachers going to mark down any pupil with a result that they should really get? No obviously not.

The only way this will be found out is when businesses in the future say the standard of pupils who have left are not up to the marks they received as they can’t do the jobs.

Teachers won’t worry they’ve been paid and can hide behind the politics of it all.

Examinations have given people a base to start from.

I wonder what will happen when pupils are a bit older and working in an important career and have to take internal examinations! Will they be up to it or cry woof?

Imagine going for a major operation to find that your surgeon hadn’t taken exams and only had course work to cover them?

They won't be marked by their own teachers if its external

Hope this does not come back to haunt Education!

Are any teachers going to mark down any pupil with a result that they should really get? No obviously not.

The only way this will be found out is when businesses in the future say the standard of pupils who have left are not up to the marks they received as they can’t do the jobs.

Teachers won’t worry they’ve been paid and can hide behind the politics of it all.

Examinations have given people a base to start from.

I wonder what will happen when pupils are a bit older and working in an important career and have to take internal examinations! Will they be up to it or cry woof?

Imagine going for a major operation to find that your surgeon hadn’t taken exams and only had course work to cover them?

They won't be marked by their own teachers if its external

That’s what they are saying let’s hope it’s so because if not thousands will feel let down in years to come!

They won't be marked by their own teachers if its external

That’s what they are saying let’s hope it’s so because if not thousands will feel let down in years to come!

The coursework is being marked internally by teachers , said it on Radio Wales this morning and on LBC last night. The stupidity of a system where you have 4 education areas - Wales, Scotland, N Ireland and England - all setting different course work , all having different policies re exams / coursework and then expecting UK universities to be able to differentiate between the levels of educational attainment.

Devolution at it's finest - jobs protection racket. I have a couple of mates who work at the WJEC. The money to be made there is in the printing contract. And guess what company gets awarded the same printing contract year after year ? - the company that has ex directors of the WJEC....

They won't be marked by their own teachers if its external

That’s what they are saying let’s hope it’s so because if not thousands will feel let down in years to come!

The coursework is being marked internally by teachers , said it on Radio Wales this morning and on LBC last night. The stupidity of a system where you have 4 education areas - Wales, Scotland, N Ireland and England - all setting different course work , all having different policies re exams / coursework and then expecting UK universities to be able to differentiate between the levels of educational attainment.

Devolution at it's finest - jobs protection racket. I have a couple of mates who work at the WJEC. The money to be made there is in the printing contract. And guess what company gets awarded the same printing contract year after year ? - the company that has ex directors of the WJEC....
[/quote]

Coursework is marked internally under usual circumstances anyway and a select few pieces are then sent for moderation per class or school