Coronavirus: Free A-level appeal must be option for all, says Plaid Cymru

Coronavirus closed schools and saw summer exams abandoned in Wales

A free and independent appeals process should be available to all A-level students in Wales getting their results on Thursday, Plaid Cymru has said.

This year's exams were cancelled across the UK because of coronavirus.

Many Scottish exam results are to be raised after a moderation system lowered an estimated 125,000 of them.

On Tuesday, Welsh Government minister Julie James told a news conference: "We're not expecting what happened in Scotland to happen here."

Tens of thousands of Scottish pupils are to have their exam results upgraded after the Scottish government agreed to accept teacher estimates of scores, following an outcry.

There had been claims that the moderation system unfairly penalised pupils at schools which had historically not performed as well.

• Exam board says grades will be 'balanced and fair'

• Sixth-formers reflect on cancelled exams

On Wednesday, Plaid Cymru education spokeswoman Sian Gwenllian said a "robust, national and independent system of appeal" would be needed in Wales as there were concerns that some students would experience similar downgrades of the results teachers had predicted for them.

She urged Welsh ministers to "step in with a package of support" for pupils.

"This needs to include careers advice, counselling and - crucially - a robust, national and independent system of appeal," she said.

"All of this must be free for our learners."

Sian Gwenllian: "Schools must ensure rigorous oversight of this"

Ms Gwenllian added: "It shouldn't be merely up to pupils to refer themselves to the appeals process.

"Schools must ensure rigorous oversight of this so that everyone who should have their grades appealed is able to do so."

The National Union of Students (NUS) has called for Wales to "follow Scotland by scrapping moderated grades if students face an A-level results postcode lottery on Thursday".

NUS Wales president Becky Ricketts warned: "It would be deeply unfair that thousands of students face being marked down because of where they live."

Some pupils held protests against the exam results in Scotland

Welsh Housing and Local Government Minister Ms James insisted that Wales used different modelling to Scotland and that nearly half of pupils' final mark was based on AS-levels completed last year.

Speaking during the weekly Welsh Government coronavirus briefing on Tuesday, Ms James said she was confident pupils' grades would be "robust" due to the system used by the examination board WJEC and exam regulator Qualifications Wales.

"I'm really happy to reassure every learner in Wales that the modelling in Wales is very different," she said.

"It takes into account work that has been completed by the students. For example, here in Wales we've never let go of AS-levels.

"If you took A-levels this year then you would have had your AS-level results last year and they contribute 40% to A-level grades.

"So, the model for standardising those grades are developed by the WJEC and approved by Qualifications Wales to ensure that learners are treated fairly and will be able to progress with confidence."