Coronavirus: Homeschooled pupil 'in limbo' by GCSE move

Rebecca Gouge had been among thousands of pupils set to take their GCSEs this year

A homeschooled pupil has been left in "limbo" by the decision to drop GCSE exams this year, her mother has said.

Mainstream pupils will be judged on predicted grades, but for Rebecca Gouge they do not exist.

The 15-year-old said it left her "anxious" for her future, when homeschooling was intended to be a route to protect her mental health.

The Department for Education said without sufficient evidence it was not possible to receive a grade.

Rebecca, from Telford, Shropshire, has been taught at home for the past year and was preparing to take the exams as an external candidate at a private college.

She said she had previously struggled in secondary school and her mental health had suffered.

"I was anxious to be going from homeschooling back into mainstream school, and I will have no GCSEs which most people have," she said.

"It is creating more anxiety, I feel stressed out."

The Department for Education said, while some external candidates may still get a calculated grade, that will not be possible for all students

Without mock exam results or a qualified tutor being part of her homeschooling there is nothing to base a grade on.

Rebecca's mother Rosemary said they had found little information on exam board websites and a friend who marks exam papers but was equally "flummoxed" how to proceed.

Chris Spraggett, chief executive of Coventry tutoring firm Tutors and Exams, said Rebecca was not alone.

He said he had received about 38,000 enquiries from "displaced" candidates - not all homeschooled - within 48 hours after exams were cancelled.

He said he had worked with awarding bodies to gather evidence of homeschooled students' work which has been used to provide about 500 of them a grade, but the process closed about two weeks ago.

Mrs Gouge said: "She is in limbo... there seems to be a gap when it comes home education.

"She doesn't want to spend another year in college when she wants to get on with the rest of her learning.

"College should be the stepping stone on to the next stage, this seems to have delayed it for her.

"She has been stressing about it and in tears about it."

Rebecca Gouge said the prospect of starting college without GCSEs was creating added anxiety

Rebecca had applied to three colleges to study Biology, Chemistry and Psychology to enable her to get a degree so she can go into the Royal Navy as a medical officer.

While two colleges offered her a BTEC or an Access to A Levels Science Pathway, the third has told her she may have study another subject for a year while she gets her GCSEs and begin her A Levels after.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "External candidates entered for exams this year may still be able to receive a calculated grade, if the school or college has been able to identify sufficient evidence of their achievements on which they can base a centre assessment grade.

"Unfortunately not all external candidates will be able to receive a grade if there is not sufficient evidence.

"Ofqual is working with the sector to consider how higher and further education providers can make decisions about private candidates who do not receive a grade, such as reviewing other evidence of the applicants' achievements."

A spokesperson for Ofqual, which regulates qualifications and exams, added the "exceptional arrangements" in place this year meant it "may not be possible for every student to receive a grade" based on evidence of their work.