Why the A-Level u turn isn't enough

Too little, too late: the government has scrapped the algorithm that decided thousands of students’ grades for A-Levels this week, but many students don’t feel this is enough to reverse the damage already done.

On 17 August, after nearly a week of students and teachers protesting, the decision was announced to reverse the 40% of results downgraded by Ofqual, meaning A-Level results would be based entirely on teacher predictions, rather than the so called ‘algorithm’. The 40% of downgraded students tended to be from state schools, with not a single pupil from Eton, the most well-known private school, having a grade downgraded.

The ‘algorithm’ was announced when the government released their strategy to give students grades without them sitting exams, due to COVID-19, and it was said to combine teacher predictions with the school/college’s past performance in those subject areas. This seemed a good idea initially, as it would ensure schools didn’t inflate pupils’ grades in order to improve the reputation and statistics of the school.

Unfortunately, it was made clear after the Scottish results came out that instead the algorithm created a postcode lottery that students had no say in entering, where meritocracy was scrapped and instead peoples future was based on their access to a better ranked school. It disproportionately disadvantaged less well-off pupils, and had little effect on those from wealthier backgrounds, but nothing was done to change prevent this happening in England before results day, as it became more and more evident the same was almost guaranteed to happen. The government had over a week to announce change before the results, and it still took them 5 days after the results to make a change. Students were left in limbo for 5 days, having been rejected by universities, not knowing what the next step was, with little to no guidance from the government.

The fact is that the situation should’ve been handled so much better, and the government still hasn’t fixed the multiple issues it caused. Children at disadvantaged schools have seen their future in chaos after their university or further education plans have been destroyed after the government’s inability to act quickly and decisively. Universities have been left to clear up the mess left by the algorithm, with them having handed out places in clearing and having to figure out how to give places to those who had their results downgraded which meant they lost their offer. They’ve been given no guidance and left with the blame for people missing out on the place they worked hard for, when the blame should lie entirely with the government who messed up the system in the first place. BTEC students have no clarity on their situation, with their grades still being lowered by the algorithm, which affects their prospects just the same as A-Level students, but they’ve been ignored.

All in all, it’s clear the sheer incompetence of this government, the department of education and Ofqual has been projected onto the students who are told these qualifications are the deciding factor in their future. In fact, it’s evident that postcode and parents wealth will always rank higher than merit in deciding someone’s future, and the government has not done enough after the A-Level u turn.