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A thread on exams next summer from a teacher and examiner
1. Covid has raised issues which have meant that it is difficult to get a level playing field and ensure fairness. Varying amounts of lost teaching in different settings. Varying access to IT during lockdown.
1. Covid has raised issues which have meant that it is difficult to get a level playing field and ensure fairness. Varying amounts of lost teaching in different settings. Varying access to IT during lockdown.
2. BUT We cannot just cancel exams and go with centre assessed grades. This just gives a different type of unfairness eg) unconscious bias and schools/colleges taking different approaches to borderline candidates. People suggesting this have short memories
3. There are things that could be done on a subject by subject basis to mitigate unfairness: increased optionality, reduce papers, count best two marks, more generous grade boundaries, increase time between papers, a March session with a June resit and many more...
4. Crucially what each of these things would do is provide an impartial external judge - that is what examiners and moderators do.
5. If we want an additional safety net we could reintroduce teacher predicted grades and have a rule where any scripts that are 2-3 grades below predicted are automatically reviewed by a senior examiner before results day
6. What matters most now is that we have clarity ASAP. We know that plan A is the exams as usual. What is plan B and under what circumstances will it come into play?
