Poll finds support for Welsh Government decision to scrap school exams in 2021

Kirsty Williams and students
Education Minister Kirsty Williams decided that disruption to education caused by coronavirus meant that it wouldn't be fair to hold any exams next year.

A YouGov opinion poll has found that just over half (51%) of the Welsh public think that cancelling GCSE, AS Level and A Level exams next year was the right decision. 23% thought it was the wrong decision.

Labour (65%) and Plaid Cymru (68%) voters are most likely to agree with the decision, compared to just 39% of Conservative voters.

Conservative supporters were divided over whether it was the right decision but Labour and Plaid Cymru voters were overwhelmingly in favour. Credit: YouGov

Education Minister Kirsty Williams said the main reason to replace exams with assessments was fairness.

The majority of the Welsh public agreed with her, with 55% thinking it is a fair way to assess students. Still, just over a quarter (26%) think it is unfair, with those aged 16-24 being the most likely age group to consider the approach unfair (33%).

16 to 24 year olds were the age group least likely to say that scrapping exams was fair. Credit: YouGov

In terms of the impact the change will have, Welsh voters are most likely (45%) to think that, on average, students will end up with better grades than they would have done had they taken exams.

Only 21% think there will be no difference between the results students end up receiving and those they would have got had they taken exams, and just one in ten think students will end up with worse grades.

With teachers carrying out the assessments, the poll found that two thirds (66%) of the Welsh public have a great deal or a fair amount of confidence in them.

When it come to education, there's rather less confidence in the Welsh Government (50%) and the Education Minister Kirsty Williams (38%).

  • YouGov polled 1,087 Welsh voters, aged 16+, between 11th and 16th November.