It has been a very challenging time for all students in secondary education but those whose external exams have been cancelled have had to contend with more uncertainty than seems fair. Year 11 and 13 students have a challenging term ahead of them once the Easter break is over as they face a series of assessments to determine their final grades.
After last year’s chaos, the good news is that the algorithm chaos of last year has been avoided. Instead the situation for 2021 is that schools can determine grades by using a combination of mock exams, coursework and essays. In essence then, the grading system for this year is built around teachers’ judgements.