In the next few days, we will see a lot about Hierarchical inflation. 2019 is the year of last year’s normal examination, 25% of A-level scores are A or A*.This year is 44.8%. In other words, the percentage of getting high scores increased by 75%. However, calling this kind of inflation inflation does not catch the point. What happened this year is not the exam as we know it, but a completely different system with no clear rules.
There is no doubt that some people will put the responsibility of high scores on the school.But the teachers are placed in an impossible position The government failed to plan properly. The Ministry of Education did not make emergency arrangements for the second wave of Covid in winter. When it happened, the school was forced to close again in January, and the 10th unilaterally decided to cancel the exam for the second consecutive year, and DfE did not have a plan B.
DfE and test regulators are fighting frantically for alternatives Unqualified Cause a mess. The school was asked to grade students, but did not give a consistent basis. They can use their own exams, past essays or class work. The level of support for allowing students to produce works is unclear. Some students will read the paper before sitting; others will not. Essentially, evaluation is about comparison. If the assessed students are engaged in different types of jobs under different conditions, it is impossible to accurately compare them. Using the Olympic analogy, this is like asking gymnastic referees to compare pommel horse movements with parallel bars. They have not even seen it in different competitions.
In this case, it is not surprising that many schools have generously explained very loose rules. For a school, choosing to adopt an unrequired degree of rigor is detrimental to their students and can be said to be unethical. Put the school in a very unfair position. In particular, many people must also deal with pressure from their parents to ensure that their children get the necessary grades to help them enter college.
It is also very unfair to young people who are still studying hard even in more difficult conditions than usual. They will feel frustrated knowing that their achievements cannot be compared to their previous peers. This will cause serious problems for the university. Highly picky schools will have to accept far more admissions letters than normal, while those less picky institutions that rely on customs clearance to recruit students will not find opportunities for them. Many universities are on the verge of bankruptcy This may push some people to the edge, leaving others without staffing or space to provide the high-quality education students expect from the £30,000 fee.
The frustrating thing about all this is that it can be avoided. It may not be possible to take the exam as usual, but through last summer’s contingency plan, alternative methods can be used. Ofqual can provide schools with standardized tests, or at least a more detailed description of the evidence they can use. Or they can conduct a series of assessments in the fall semester before the second wave. The government chose not to develop a contingency plan because it believes that the admission test may not continue, which is more likely to happen. This is a ridiculous risk management method, and young people bear the brunt because of their irresponsibility. There is a risk that the failures of the past two years, wrong algorithms and melee will put the future of the examination system at risk. Now, DfE and Ofqual need to make serious efforts to restore confidence. Whether they are capable of this task is an open question.
Sam Freedman is a former senior consultant of the Ministry of Education
What do you think of the increase in A* and A grades this year? Please let us know in the comments below.
