As you will be aware, the Covid-19 virus has impacted the GCSE exams that were due to take place this year. Below is the information on how GCSE outcomes will be decided.
How will my GCSE exam grades be awarded this summer?
ACL Essex will be asked to send the exam board two pieces of information, based on what your tutors know about your work and achievements to date:
- the grade your tutors believe you were most likely to get if teaching, learning and exams had happened as planned
- within each subject, the order of learners at ACL Essex, by performance, for each grade. This information will be used to standardise judgements.
This Centre Assessed grade is a professional judgement based on a range of things such as: your classwork and homework; your results in assignments and any mock exams; any non-exam assessment or coursework you might have done; and your general progress during your course.
We are not allowed to share with you the Centre Assessed grade or where you have been placed in the order of learners. This information will be confidential. Please do not ask your tutors as they will not be allowed to tell you.
Exam boards may, through their standardisation process, change the grade we give.
If you are unhappy with your results, you will be able to appeal, and Ofqual are working with exam boards to offer additional exams in the autumn term as soon as it is possible to do so.
Detailed information can be found at GCSE guidance for Teachers, Students and Parents.
You may be thinking ‘Why should I continue to study?’ and that’s a good question!
Here are some strong reasons why you should continue to study if your home/work/health circumstances allow you to:
- You have been undertaking a full GCSE in a considerably shortened timeframe and for some of you, not all the content may have been covered in class so far. This is particularly relevant to those enrolled on a FastTrack course. Don’t forget, in schools this is usually a two year programme.
- We know that many of you will use this qualification, and what you have learnt, for your next steps in further learning and employment. Therefore, your continued learning will help provide breadth and depth of knowledge and skills to support your progression – learning is never wasted.
- If you are not satisfied with the grade you are awarded, you will be in a better position to take the exam offered in the autumn.
The Ofqual guidance is aimed at students in schools who have been on standard two year GCSE courses.
Although Ofqual have stated there is no requirement to set additional mock exams or homework tasks for the purposes of determining a Centre Assessed grade, no student will be disadvantaged if they are unable to complete any work set after we closed on the 20th March 2020. We strongly recommend you continue, wherever possible, to work with your tutors until the end of the programme. This will put you in the best possible position to support your future ambitions.
On behalf of all staff at ACL Essex, I would like to wish you and your families our best wishes during these challenging times.
Yours faithfully
Christian Norman
Vice Principal, Curriculum and Learning
ACL Essex
