Ofqual: more schools appealing over exam results
The number of schools protesting over GCSE and A-level results has soared by a quarter in just 12 months amid continuing dissatisfaction over standards of marking, official figures show.
Almost 500 appeals in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were lodged last year by schools unhappy with pupils’ final grades, it was revealed.
The figures – published by the exams watchdog Ofqual – follow the row over last summer's GCSE English results when teachers complained that thousands of pupils were marked down following a sudden shift in grade boundaries.
It also follows the publication of a report by the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference of leading private schools that warned of “systematic” weaknesses in the exams system, including poor quality marking and inconsistencies between competing test boards.
Figures from Ofqual have already shown a sharp rise in the number of schools sending exam papers back for rechecking and remarking.
A record 279,046 queries were made following last summer's exams, up from 204,575 in 2011 – a 36 per cent increase. This resulted in the highest number of grade changes, with 45,630 papers being adapted in total – up by 19 per cent in 12 months.
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... (Daily Telegraph - 06 March)