Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of whether the administration of A-level assessment in private schools in England in summer 2021 was conducted in a manner which ensured a level playing field for all pupils in the UK.

Parents and students can have confidence in the grades awarded in 2021. Overall results in 2021 showed success for those targeting the top grades from all types of schools and from all student backgrounds. The grades awarded reflected students’ hard work in what was a hugely challenging year.

Examination boards set out clear requirements for a robust yet proportionate quality assurance process that supported teachers to make judgements and ensured students received meaningful grades. There was a process for both internal and external quality assurance. Additionally, all centres, including independent schools, had their processes for awarding grades checked by examination boards to assure arrangements were appropriate.

All schools submitted a selection of student evidence to examination boards, which then scrutinised a sample of this work. Of the sample of 1,101 centres with examined submissions, 55% were secondary schools or academies, 18% were independent or selective centres, 13% were further education colleges, sixth forms or tertiary colleges, and 13% were other centre types, including free schools. This is broadly in line with the proportion of each centre type nationally.

Ofqual has published a readily accessible analysis of summer 2021 GCSE and A level results. Ofqual reported on the ways it monitored awarding organisations’ delivery and award of qualifications to students in 2021. The report is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1010044/6828-2_Summer_2021_results_analysis_and_quality_assurance_-_GCSE_and_A_level.pdf. In its report on equalities analysis, published in summer 2021, Ofqual reported examination boards found no evidence that teachers’ judgements were systemically biased in favour of any group of students. This report is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1010126/6828-3_Student-level_equalities_analysis_for_GCSE_and_A_level_summer_2021.pdf.

Ofqual’s findings show general stability in the differences in outcomes for students with different protected characteristics, compared to previous years and increases in outcomes for various groups. Ofqual has reported that this suggests changes to the assessment arrangements in 2021 have lessened the unevenness in outcomes otherwise observable. The government remains committed to providing world-class education and training for everyone, no matter their background or characteristics, and will continue to take the action needed to address disparities to help all pupils make up learning lost as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Teachers, schools and colleges did a good job in using their collective experience to assess students in 2021. However, the government is clear that exams remain the best and fairest form of assessment, which is why it is determined exams will take place this summer with adaptations to maximise fairness for young people.