A Structured Discussion of the Fairness of GCSE and A Level Grades in England in Summer 2020 and 2021
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| Title: | A Structured Discussion of the Fairness of GCSE and A Level Grades in England in Summer 2020 and 2021 |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Victoria Crisp, Gill Elliott, Emma Walland, Lucy Chambers |
| Source: | Research Papers in Education. 2025 40(1):44-71. |
| Availability: | Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 28 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Secondary School Students, Achievement Tests, Exit Examinations, Equal Education, Student Evaluation, Grades (Scholastic), Performance Based Assessment, Student Certification, Teacher Expectations of Students, COVID-19, Pandemics, Grading, Qualifications, Justice |
| Geographic Terms: | United Kingdom (England) |
| DOI: | 10.1080/02671522.2024.2318046 |
| ISSN: | 0267-1522 1470-1146 |
| Abstract: | In England, examinations for general qualifications (GCSE, AS and A level) were cancelled in summer 2020 and summer 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and replaced with contingency measures involving teacher judgements. For summer 2020, the intention was to calculate grades using rankings provided by centres, prior attainment data for the current learners and performance data for centres' candidates in previous years. This approach was later abandoned, and 'centre assessment grades' were issued instead (except where calculated grades were higher). For summer 2021, 'teacher-assessed grades' were awarded to learners. These drastically different to usual approaches to the assessment of high-stakes qualifications raised debate about fairness. This article discusses evidence that can inform judgements about the fairness of these grades, using an existing framework of different 'senses' of fairness to provide a structure. In this way, we judged how fair grades were in each sense compared to prior years for each of the approaches used (or nearly used) in summer 2020 and 2021. The analysis highlights tensions in the prioritisation of different aspects of fairness in the unusual circumstances of the pandemic. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1459239 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | In England, examinations for general qualifications (GCSE, AS and A level) were cancelled in summer 2020 and summer 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and replaced with contingency measures involving teacher judgements. For summer 2020, the intention was to calculate grades using rankings provided by centres, prior attainment data for the current learners and performance data for centres' candidates in previous years. This approach was later abandoned, and 'centre assessment grades' were issued instead (except where calculated grades were higher). For summer 2021, 'teacher-assessed grades' were awarded to learners. These drastically different to usual approaches to the assessment of high-stakes qualifications raised debate about fairness. This article discusses evidence that can inform judgements about the fairness of these grades, using an existing framework of different 'senses' of fairness to provide a structure. In this way, we judged how fair grades were in each sense compared to prior years for each of the approaches used (or nearly used) in summer 2020 and 2021. The analysis highlights tensions in the prioritisation of different aspects of fairness in the unusual circumstances of the pandemic. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0267-1522 1470-1146 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/02671522.2024.2318046 |
