Covid: Call for 2021 A-Level and GCSE 'clarity'

An independent report has suggested GCSE and A level exams should be scrapped in 2021 due to the impact of Covid-19

Urgent clarity is needed over alternative assessments if GCSEs are cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, a teaching union has warned.

Education Minister Kirsty Williams is due to announce 2021 exam arrangements in the Senedd on Tuesday.

An independent review recommended any form of GCSE or A-Level exams in 2021 would be unfair due to Covid-19.

The UCAC teaching union said staff and pupils needed clear guidance as soon as possible to prepare for next year.

Rebecca Williams, from the union, said that any move to cancel 2021 exams would be welcomed due to disruption caused by Covid-19 measures.

"What we don't want to do is waste a lot of time working out those arrangements. We need everything to be decided and clear as soon as possible," she said.

The Welsh Government commissioned the review which called for all 2021 exams to be scrapped.

A separate report by exam regulator Qualifications Wales agreed GCSE exams should be axed but said some A-level papers should stay.

The Welsh Conservatives have echoed the call for some A-Levels to remain, while Plaid Cymru thinks all exams should be scrapped.

In August, a fallout over A-level grades led to a U-turn by the Welsh government

Reports in the Sunday Times newspaper suggested Liberal Democrat Ms Williams was expected to accept recommendations to scrap GCSE exams but keep most or all A-Level exams.

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In an interview with the paper, the minister said GCSE scores would be based on "classwork, coursework or controlled assessments which would be independently monitored to avoid unconscious bias by teachers".

In March, schools closed to most pupils as the pandemic hit Wales.

Since September, some classes have been forced to isolate after cases in classrooms, and there are fears thousands of pupils may have fallen behind after 47,000 missed school in the week before the Wales-wide lockdown began.

Scotland announced its plan for 2021 examinations last month, to cut the volume of tests in half by switching National 5 qualifications to assessed grades rather than exams.

In Northern Ireland, A-level, AS and GCSE exams will start one week later in 2021 but will still finish by 30 June.

While in England, it seems unlikely that next year's exams will be completely cancelled.

Wales' announcement on Tuesday will be made a day after some students return to classrooms after Wales' 17-day "fire-break" lockdown.

There was uproar over exam results in the summer when 42% of A-Level pupils received standardised grades lower than teacher assessments.

After a backlash, pupils sitting GCSE, A-level, AS-levels and Welsh Baccalaureate exams received the higher of the two grades.

The independent review and Qualifications Wales have different recommendations on A-level exams

Gareth Evans, the Director of Education Policy at University of Wales Trinity St Davids said scrapping the exams would be the "right decision on balance".

He said: "I think there are far too many variables in the system, far too many variables between schools and therefore pupils are likely to have a very different experience depending on where they are in Wales."

The Welsh Government refused to be drawn on the reports in the paper but said the minister's statement on Tuesday "follows engagement over many weeks with a wide range of stakeholders," a spokesman said.