Headteachers call for answers on GCSE grade changes (From Falmouth Packet)

Headteachers call for answers on GCSE grade changes

5:00pm Thursday 6th September 2012 in News

HEADTEACHERS across Cornwall have called on exam boards to explain why grade boundaries were moved in this summer’s GCSE examinations, leaving, “hard work and tremendous efforts’”unrewarded.

In a joint statement issued with Cornwall Council , CASH (Cornwall Association of Secondary Headteachers) congratulated pupils on their results, but expressed dismay over the row over marking.

The statement reads: “Overall we are pleased to announce that the GCSE results for Cornish secondary schools have held firm despite the national picture of disquiet and alarm over the highly questionable movement of grade boundaries for some GCSE examination papers, most notably English. The Council and CASH are extremely concerned about how and why this has happened and feel considerable dismay that the hard work and tremendous efforts of some students and staff have not been properly rewarded. “Schools and the Local Authority join together in expressing our dismay that many young people will have to pick up the pieces after receiving results for a crucial examination that are lower than predicted and lower than grades achieved in their other subjects.

“We are extremely concerned about the sizeable number of our young people who appear to have been let down because of these marking anomalies. “This will also give a far less positive impression of school performance across the board than is actually the case. “Cornish secondary headteachers, together with the local authority, view the recent statement by Ofqual, the exam boards watchdog, as being of little comfort to those young people affected by the inadequate administration of the exams. “Indeed, the Ofqual statement calls into question its own fitness for purpose given its assertion that standards in previous examination rounds have been ‘overly generous’.

“We call upon exam boards, the exams boards’ regulator Ofqual, and central government to take urgent steps to explain what has happened - both in Cornwall and nationally - and to explain how they propose to redress the wrongs that are so evident.”