Exam system descends into turmoil in UK

Public anger over downgrading forces govt to do U-turn, revise results to initial estimates

Britain's university entrance system is in turmoil after a high-profile government climbdown over the assessment of school leavers' results.

With end-of-year exams impossible because of the pandemic shutting schools and colleges, teachers estimated what results pupils would have been likely to achieve.

But these marks were then submitted to a computer algorithm that saw a significant number of students, particularly those from less affluent areas or historically less successful schools, downgraded, affecting their university entrance prospects.

After days of public anger and political criticism, the government dropped the algorithm, revising results to the initial estimates. However, some students have now made other plans.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had earlier called the results generated by the system "robust and dependable". Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said there was no chance of the authorities in England following the example of Scotland in reversing results, saying "the message we got from everyone was that this is the right system going forward".

The reversal decision in Scotland was criticized by central government, but following similar moves in Wales and Northern Ireland, England has now done the same.

Williamson said he was "incredibly sorry for the distress" caused to students. When pressed by the BBC, he refused to say if he would be stepping down from his position, only saying "my focus is making sure youngsters get the grades that they deserve".

The same system had been lined up for use in the results of General Certificate of Secondary Education, exams taken at the age of 16, which are due out on Thursday, but has now been dropped completely.

Opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer was highly critical of how the matter had been handled, saying "the government has had months to sort out exams and has now been forced into a screeching U-turn after days of confusion", and the reversal does not bring the saga to a neat conclusion.

Now some universities will find themselves oversubscribed with students who have met the entrance requirements, causing logistical problems, and although a cap on numbers has been removed to allow for this, there will be challenges around physical capacity, especially in the era of social distancing.

"If you rip up the rules after the results are out and with only a few weeks to go before the academic year starts, it is a major challenge," Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, told the Guardian.

"Institutions will do their best by their applicants but there are always limits, internally imposed and externally imposed, on how much they can expand and that is doubly true when social distancing rules are in force."

julian@mail.chinadailyuk.com