College students’ exam results will be ‘fair and reflective’

FROME College’s GCSE and A-level students have been encouraged to keep studying to the “best of their ability” despite the cancellation of this year’s exams.

It was announced in January that this year’s GCSE and A-level exams in England have been cancelled in response to the third national lockdown.

Instead, teachers’ estimated grades will be used to calculate students’ results, and Frome College has offered reassurance that grades will be a “fair and reflective” of each student’s progress.

In a letter to parents and carers, principal of Frome College, Emma Reynolds, said, “With the Government’s announcement last week (week commencing 4th January) about the cancellation of summer exams in 2021, it is very important to recognise that teacher assessments will inform final grades. 

“The detail of exactly what this means is yet to be released, although there is a national consultation this week. Clearly it is vital students keep studying to the best of their ability during this time, so that teachers can collect evidence of student progress.

“Once we have the details of how grades will be given, then I will share these with you – please be assured that Frome College teachers will, as ever, do everything possible to ensure grades are fair and reflective of each individual student’s progress in their subjects.”

This will be the second year in a row that exams have been cancelled because of Covid-19 and students’ results calculated using teachers’ estimated grades.