As thousands of children across the UK prepare for the release of their A Level and GCSE results, a survey commissioned by law firm Simpson Millar has revealed that over a quarter of respondents with children due to sit exams this summer said they were unclear on how grading would work.
Of the 163 parents who thought the A Level and GCSE results would have a long term impact on their child(ren)’s future, 58% said they believed they would perform better in exams, and 52% said they have been working really hard since they took their mocks and would have improved their grades.
Almost a third of parents (31%) were also concerned that their children would be graded unfairly.
Children are expected to receive their A-Level results on 13th of August with GCSE results announced on the 20th August.
We're rated‘Excellent’Commenting on the findings Imogen Jolley from Simpson Millar’s Education Law team said, “The publishing of A Level and GCSE results is nerve-wracking for families under normal circumstances, so it’s inevitable that there is a heightened sense of apprehension given the current pandemic.
“However, that hasn’t been helped by the lack of clear and concise guidance from the authorities over how grades will be determined.
“While the Government has published a comprehensive overview it’s incredibly long-winded and complex, and it’s left a lot of parents and students confused about what to expect.”
Imogen goes on to say that there will need to be a ‘thorough review’ of the data relating to grades once they are made public over the coming weeks to ensure there is no discrepancy.
She said, “This year, teachers are allocating grades based on a range of criteria including personal knowledge of a child’s attainment, as well as performance in mock exams and assessment of non-exam activity.
“That does leave the process open to some interpretation however which is causing a lot of concern, and what families are really looking for is some reassurance that the process will be fair and transparent.
“We hope that if a student does end up with a lower grade than they expected that the Universities work with them to find a solution, but if that’s not possible some families may want to consider taking things further with the school or college.”
Survey Information
Out of a total 1,000 respondents to Simpson Millar’s survey, 233 participants said that one or more of their children were due to sit GCSEs or A Levels this summer.
66 (28%) said they were unclear about what’s happening with grading and 73 participants (31%) said they thought their child(ren) would not be fairly assessed. 163 respondents (70%) said they thought the results will have a long-term impact on their child’s(ren’s) future.
This data was independently collated by Trinity McQueen an independent market research company. Trinity McQueen on behalf of Simpson Millar carried out a survey of 1,000 parents across the UK between 04/06/20 and 19/06/20.