Exam results this year are indicative of the widening class disparities between students.
Thursday 17th August marked A-level results day in the UK, with 17-and-18-year olds across the country facing the first results day that – supposedly – had not been heavily affected by COVID-19 measures following the government’s policy to return to grading standards seen before the pandemic. After the confusion that has shrouded exams in recent years, students yesterday were markedly disappointed on scale by their results, with the biggest drop in grades in England on record being reported.
This same set of students had their GCSE results, two years ago, come predominantly from teacher assessment which consequently led to a record number of entries receiving 7s, 8s, and 9s (As and A*s). In 2021, 44.3% of A-level entries in England received As or A*s, whilst those who sat A-level exams last year saw 36.4% of entries awarded the top grades. For comparison, in 2019 just 25.8% received As or A*s.
How are disadvantaged students disproportionately affected?
The FTT Datalab education consultancy stated that this difference in experiences from GCSEs to A-Levels due to a return to pre-pandemic marking processes may disproportionately affect disadvantaged students who may not have even sat A-levels in years prior, but were encouraged to do so this time round due to higher GCSE grades.
In June this year, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) shared concerns that it may take a decade for the gap in attainment between disadvantaged students and other students to return to similar levels to pre-pandemic. For the decade before 2022, the gap was reportedly ‘narrowing’ but has since returned to demonstrating very little progress in favour of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
School leaders have blamed ministers for the disruption afforded to pupils, with the pass rate hitting its lowest level for 15 years. Speaking to The Independent, professor of educational assessment at UCL, Mary Richardson said that the revert back to pre-pandemic grading was ‘very harsh’, adding that ‘we should have smoothed it out over several years to avoid this kind of huge disruption…it’s very unfair on this year’s pupils. The grade deflation is exacerbating the socio-economic divide.”.
A-level results by area
The proportion of top grades awarded at A-level varied by area, with the highest number going to students in London and the South West, and the lowest amount in the North East, West Midlands, and Yorkshire and the Humber - where the share of top grades decreased from 23.2 to 23 per cent.
UCAS applications also varied by region, demonstrating a disparity between students coming from London and other regions across England. The North East – which holds the lowest application rate – and London have a difference of 23 percent this year, which was previously 17 percent just four years ago. As a more socio-economically disadvantaged area, the difference in application rates from place such as the North East reiterates the impact of COVID-19 on more disadvantaged young people.
Persistent absence
Another factor contributing massively to a drop in grades this year is persistent absence amongst students, much of which is related to poor mental health and anxieties following the past few years’ long periods of lockdown and working from home.
In the autumn 2022/23 term, according to data reported by Parliament, 24.2% of pupils were persistently absent (meaning they missed 10% or more sessions), which was more than double the 10.9% persistent absence rate of autumn 2018/19, prior to the pandemic. Prolonged time at home during lockdowns has increased – or created - pupils’ anxieties about returning to the classroom, causing them to take more time off school. In addition, families hit harder by the cost-of-living crisis
are more susceptible to poor wellbeing and mental health, making the adjustment of being back in school and, alongside that, stricter exam grading parameters even more difficult.
Upcoming GCSE results
Later this week, the A-level results released last week will be accompanied by GCSE results for 15/16-year olds, results which it is being reported have been ‘undermined’ by high levels of persistent absence and poor mental health amongst students.
It is reported that we are likely to see similar disappointment for GCSE students as A-level students experienced last week, with education experts warning that 300,000 fewer top grades will be awarded in England this year.
Talking to The Guardian, Geoff Barton – general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders – said: “The government has failed to provide young people affected by these factors with sufficient support and it has failed also to reform the school accountability system to make it less punitive and more supportive. Both things need to happen.”, adding that “this could lead to reduced life chances for these young people and to schools serving disadvantaged communities.”.
The disparities that have widened since the pandemic, and have since filtered down to deeply affect the education system, are reported to have set back any progress aiding disadvantaged pupils in the last decade. The cost-of-living crisis has impacted numerous facets of society and the lives of those affected most, and the exam results seen this past week – and that will be seen this coming week – are just one indicator of this.
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/aug/17/a-level-students-in-england-may-miss-out-as-stricter-grading-returns
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmpubacc/998/report.html#footnote-042-backlink
https://epi.org.uk/publications-and-research/analysis-level-3-results-day-2023/
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/a-level-exam-results-university-b2394855.html
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/aug/21/gcses-england-high-absence-levels-mental-ill-health-heads