Hull college principal calls for rethink after 'really skewed' A-level results
The head of a sixth form college in Hull has called for a major rethink of the way A-level grades are calculated after seeing 50% of his students downgraded by one mark.
Colin Peaks, principal at Wilberforce Sixth Force College, told ITV News Calendar that around 150 students are "adrift" of their mock exam grade, adding it is "ridiculous that we’ve got this on a mass scale like this."
This year's exams results were calculated from past performance and based on information sent to the boards by teachers, after the summer exams were cancelled due to Covid-19.
However data from Ofqual shows exam boards downgraded nearly 40% of school leavers' grades in England, which amounts to around 280,000 entries being adjusted down.
Mr Peaks has called on the Department for Education to revert back to teacher predictions, adding the results “don’t make sense” and are “really skewed.”
He understands that only three colleges nationwide achieved the grades predicted for their students. Fifty percent of the remaining colleges were "below" and the other 50% were "significantly below" what their students were expected to achieve.
"Each one of them is a grade lower than I've got"
Olivia Dunn, student, Wilberforce Sixth Form College, Hull
Along with A-levels, BTEC results also came out today. However, students at some colleges in our region were left disappointed when upon arrival they were told their result is 'pending'.
Mayas Dirar, BTEC student in Hull, a refugee who has been in the UK since 2015.