Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of adjusting the curriculum to be covered by students for exams in 2021 to better reflect the academic potential of students rather than the extent of the curriculum they have been able to cover in that year.

Examinations and assessments are the best and fairest way of judging students’ performance. Next year’s GCSE, AS level and A level examination series will go ahead with a number of measures in place to ensure that all students have a fair chance to show what they know and can do.

The Department’s priority is that there is a consistent approach to what is taught and will be assessed across schools. Schools will be making every effort, including in areas where there is high prevalence of COVID-19, to deliver high quality teaching, including through remote education. In recognition of the disruption which many students are experiencing because of COVID-19, Ofqual will work with exam boards to provide students with advance notice of some exam topic areas and exam support materials. These will be published by the end of January and will reduce the pressure for students, helping them to focus revision.

Combined with our £1 billion catch-up package, including a catch-up premium worth a total of £650 million, these changes give young people the best chance of being ready for their exams without undermining the value of the qualifications they receive.