Hundreds of thousands of school leavers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are receiving their A-level results, as ministers face pressure over a last-minute change to allow students to choose their mock exam results if they are unhappy with their grades.
Exams this summer were cancelled due to the pandemic and students will receive estimated grades to help them progress into university, work or training.
But the use of mock grades has drawn criticism from teachers, students and ministers, who warned the change contained “massive inconsistencies” and “beggars belief”.
Labour leader Keir Starmer hit out at the eleventh hour changes, calling it “shambolic”.
“This is a complete fiasco. It was obvious this was going to be difficult but it’s been weeks or months in the coming,” he said, noting the fallout last week in Scotland where grades were downgraded for students from more deprived areas.
Education secretary Gavin Williamson has insisted the system is fair and “robust”.
Education secretary rules out upgrading exam results
Pupils in England will not be allowed to accept A-level results estimated by teachers as Gavin Williamson ruled out England following Scotland in doing so.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he said allowing teachers’ grades would see students losing out as it would “devalue the results for the class of 2020, and would clearly not be fair on the classes of 2019 and 2021”.
“But worse than that, it would mean that students this year would lose out twice over, both in their education and their future prospects,” he added.
The Scottish Government confirmed on Tuesday it would allow for all results that were downgraded to be replaced by the original estimates following major controversy last week.
Pupils across Scotland staged protests, saying they had been unfairly penalised by attending schools which have not historically had high levels of performance.
Exams watchdog cancels news briefing
England’s exams regulator OFQUAL has cancelled its news conference today and instead will be explaining the exam results appeals process at the start of next week, said Gavin Williamson.
It has already announced a 2 per cent rise in A* and A grades this year at A-level.
Mr Williamson defended the system as “fair and robust”, but admitted that some students will be unhappy with their results.
He told Sky News: “I can’t sit here and say that there won’t be a single child in this country who won’t be in a situation of where they have got a grade that isn’t a fair reflection of their work.
“That’s why we took the decision in terms of the triple-lock, making sure there is an incredibly robust appeals process, so that youngsters are able to go down that appeals process and get those issues addressed.”
Students are now receiving their A-level results through email or by logging into the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service's online portal, or in person at their school or college.
We wish all students receiving their results today the very best of luck.
Students prepared to protest A-level results ‘if it doesn’t go well’
Pupils have said they are prepared to protest this year’s A-level results, backed by the National Union of Students (NUS).
They follow the actions of Scottish pupils, who demonstrated last week after nearly 125,000 grades were lowered as a result of “moderation”.
Zoe Tidman and Kate Devlin have the story:
Several people have reported the websites they are trying to access A-level results on have crashed.
Students are receiving their A-level results this morning, with many experiencing high levels of anxiety over the grades given in extremely unusual circumstances.
Education secretary congratulates students receiving A-level results today
Gavin Williamson has congratulated students receiving their results today and praised them for their achievements “in the most extraordinary and difficult circumstances.
He said in a statement: “Grades awarded today will open up the doors of opportunity for young people to progress to the next stage of their lives, whether studying at one of our world class universities, taking up an apprenticeship or embarking on the start of their careers.
“Any students who feel they have grounds for appeal now have the safety net of being able to use their mock results as evidence, as well as the chance of sitting autumn exams, thanks to our triple lock process to ensure confidence and fairness in the system.
“The resilience they have shown during these challenging times will serve them well and I wish them all the very best for the future.”
More students accepted on to UK degree courses this year - Ucas
Ucas figures have shown that more students have been accepted on to UK degree courses this year.
In total, 358,860 people from across the UK have had places confirmed, up 2.9 per cent on the same point last year.
Data published by the university admissions service revealed 34,310 international students from outside the EU have been accepted (up 2 per cent), while acceptances from students within the EU have fallen by 15.2 per cent to 22,430.
Reporting by PA
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) has asked pupils to be "patient" when signing into its website to check their results, amid complaints from students of the website crashing.
‘Heartbreaking’ results as school leaders concerned about ‘detrimental impact’ on students
The Association of School and College (ASCL) leaders has said in a statement that there has been a “great deal of volatility among the results” being received by students today.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of ASCL, raised concerns that the statistical model used to determine students’ grades this year has lowered them and “created clear injustices”.
He said: “While there has been an overall increase in top grades, we are very concerned that this disguises a great deal of volatility among the results at school and student level.
“We have received heartbreaking feedback from school leaders about grades being pulled down in a way that they feel to be utterly unfair and unfathomable. They are extremely concerned about the detrimental impact on their students.
“They worked very hard to provide accurate grades to the exam boards, carefully following all the guidance, and are dismayed that the statistical model then used to standardise these grades has had such a devastating impact. This is in terms of both the number of grades lowered, and some students’ results being pulled down by more than one grade.
“We will be working to understand more about what has happened, but our immediate impression is that the statistical process has proved to be far too blunt an instrument and has created clear injustices."
The organisation called for the government and OFQUAL to review the situation and warned them against "insisting all is well".
“It is not sufficient for the government to dismiss these concerns by saying that schools and colleges can attempt to battle their way through the appeals process, or that students who are not satisfied can enter the autumn exam series some seven to eight months after they finished their courses, and are no longer at the centre where they studied," added Mr Barton.
“We have done everything we possibly can to support the grading process in difficult circumstances, but there is a time to say enough is enough.”
Ucas appears to be down as students report frustrations at trying to log in to check their results, as the organisation pleads with students to be "patient".
Andrew Griffin reports:
Thousands of A-level results downgraded
Despite record-high results, thousands of pupils have had their A-level results downgraded after this year’s exams were cancelled because of the pandemic.
Figures for England, Wales and Northern Ireland show the proportion for A-level entries awarded an A grade or higher has risen to a record high, with 27.9 per cent securing top grades this year.
But exam boards downgraded nearly two in five (39.1 per cent) pupils’ grades in England, according to data from OFQUAL. That amounts to around 280,000 entries being adjusted down after moderation.
In England, a total of 35.6 per cent of grades were adjusted down by one grade, 3.3 per cent were brought down by two grades, and 0.2 per cent came down by three grades.
But the overall proportion of entries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that were awarded the top A* grade surged to 9 per cent, the highest proportion since the top grade was introduced in 2010.
Reporting by PA
Some students have received grades lower than their mock exam results, sparking more confusion and anger around the already-fraught issue.
It comes amid criticism of the system, which was put in place as summer exams were cancelled due to the pandemic.
Gavin Williamson admits bright pupils risk being penalised
The education secretary has admitted high-performing students from low-performing schools are at risk of being penalised as fears over A-level results “fiasco” grow.
Mr Williamson told LBC there was a “danger” of bright pupils in such schools not getting “the grades they want to” and exam boards have been asked to contact schools in such situations to make sure appeals are made.
Our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
Key statistics in 2020 A-level results
These are the main figures in this year’s A-level results
Labour condemns downgrading of A-level results as ‘huge injustice’
Following news that thousands of students had their results downgraded, Labour’s shadow education secretary has called on the government to “correct the injustice” faced by pupils today.
Kate Green said in a statement: “Today is always an anxious day for pupils and parents across the country. That anxiety is far worse this year because of the fiasco caused by the Conservative Government.
"I wholeheartedly congratulate those young people who have received the grades they deserve after working so hard. But across the country, many young people will be opening their results today to find grades which undermine their work and their potential. It is a huge injustice that pupils will see their results downgraded just because of their postcode.
“We will look at the breakdown of the results, but it is clear the government’s approach to exams has been chaotic.
“Ministers must act urgently to correct the injustice faced by so many young people today. Students must be able to lodge their own appeals if they haven't got the grade they deserved and admissions teams must be forced to be more flexible. No student should see their dreams slip away because of this government's inaction."
How to secure a place in university on A-level results day
If you have missed out on the grades needed for a course you chose before today, or you have changed your mind, our guide on navigating Clearing will help you.
Liam James tells you everything you need to know about Clearing:
Wales: Education minister sends message to students
Kirsty Williams, education minister in Wales, has sent students collecting their A-level, Welsh Bacc and vocational qualification grades today her best wishes.
She said: “Due to the many changes we've had to make this year in exceptional circumstances, you've had to make many sacrifices.
"But you have every reason to be proud of all the work you've done, which will serve you well, and proud of the determination you have shown to overcome this challenging time.
"As announced yesterday, we have guaranteed that a learner's final A-level grade cannot be lower than their AS grade.
"Students in Wales, and prospective employers and universities across the UK, can be assured that their A-level grades reflect their work and externally assessed exams.
"I hope you get the grades you'd hoped for, and you can continue with your educational journey in the autumn.
"Although many of you will be pleased with your results and excited for your next step, if you didn't get what you'd hoped, there's plenty of options and advice on Working Wales.
"Best of luck, and best wishes for the future."
A-level pass rates by region
Here is the A-level pass rate (students receiving A*-E grades) broken down by nation and region.
The figure in brackets is the change in percentage points on 2019
- England 98.2% (up 0.7)
- Wales 98.6% (up 1.0)
- Northern Ireland 99.1% (up 0.8)
- North-east England 98.7% (up 0.4)
- North-west England 98.4% (up 0.4)
- Yorkshire & the Humber 98.4% (up 0.6)
- West Midlands 97.8% (up 0.7)
- East Midlands 98.2% (up 0.7)
- Eastern England 98.3% (up 0.7)
- South-west England 98.4% (up 0.7)
- South-east England 98.4% (up 0.6)
- London 98.0% (up 1.1)
- All 98.3% (up 0.7)
Here are the rates for students receiving the top grades (A* and A):
- England 27.6% (up 2.4)
- Wales 29.9% (up 2.9)
- Northern Ireland 33.2% (up 2.3)
- North-east England 24.9% (up 1.9)
- North-west England 25.3% (up 1.7)
- Yorkshire & the Humber 25.4% (up 2.2)
- West Midlands 24.2% (up 2.2)
- East Midlands 24.4% (up 3.4)
- Eastern England 28.0% (up 2.3)
- South-west England 28.6% (up 2.8)
- South-east England 30.7% (up 2.4)
- London 29.8% (up 2.9)
- All 27.9% (up 2.4)
PA
Iraqi refugee receives top results for A-levels, scores place in Cambridge to study Medicine
Buraq Ahmed, an Iraqi refugee who lives with congenital hip dysplasia, has beaten all the odds and secured a place at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, to study Medicine after receiving his A-level results today.
Ahmed achieved multiple A* in Biology, Chemistry, Economics, and Maths, said Cardiff Sixth Form College, where he was awarded a scholarship after his GCSE.
He arrived in the UK at the age of three after his parents sold their home to finance his journey here, in order to get medical services for his condition.
Since then, he has undergone nine surgeries and is on daily medication to manage extreme pain. Last August, he had his right hip replaced and is now waiting for a left hip replacement, which has been put on hold due to the pandemic.
Ahmed said: “I have absolutely loved my time at Cardiff Sixth Form College. There are some really amazing students here from all over the world who are not only bright but have so many other talents in music, sport and art.
“I have made lifelong friends, met people with similar interests, been allowed to develop projects and received enormous support from the teaching, careers and admin staff. It is a brilliant community and I will certainly be coming back to help other students going forward - I am really grateful to them for everything they have helped me achieve.”
