Consultation outcome

Ensuring the resilience of the qualifications system

From:: Ofqual and Department for Education
Published: 10 May 2023
Last updated: 21 September 2023 — See all updates

Applies to England

Read the full outcome

Decisions: Ensuring the resilience of the qualifications system

Ref: Ofqual/23/7068/2

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Detail of outcome

Following consultation, Ofqual and the Department for Education (DfE) have decided to adopt long-term arrangements to ensure resilience in the qualifications system should there be any event with such severe consequences that it would necessitate a government decision that the cancellation of exams is required.

This is important to minimise disruption to students, employers and the education sector and to allow students to use their qualifications to move into higher education or employment.

Guidance has been provided for schools and colleges on how to gather and retain evidence of student performance in GCSEs, AS and A levels, Project Qualifications and the Advanced Extension Award in maths (AEA) to support resilience in the qualifications system.

Schools and colleges are advised to follow the guidance provided for GCSEs, AS and A levels, Project Qualifications and AEA.

The guidance advises schools and colleges to gather evidence in line with their existing internal assessment arrangements as far as possible, and to avoid over-assessment of students for this purpose.

For other qualifications, Ofqual has introduced rules into its regulatory framework to require awarding organisations to consider whether resilience arrangements are needed for their particular qualifications, and if necessary to provide guidance to schools and colleges.

While it is highly unlikely that such arrangements will be needed, it is not possible to know this in advance and so Ofqual and DfE expect schools and colleges to follow the guidance provided in the interests of their students.

Such arrangements are not designed to be used to award grades in circumstances where there has been localised disruption to teaching and learning.

Feedback received

Analysis of responses: Ensuring the resilience of the qualifications system

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Detail of feedback received

Respondents tended to agree that guidance should be provided to schools and colleges on how to collect and retain evidence to help award grades in the unlikely event exams do not go ahead as planned.

With regards to the proposed guidance for GCSEs, AS and A levels, and AEA, most respondents agreed that it would be helpful for schools and colleges to collect and retain evidence in a proportionate way in line with their existing arrangements to help determine TAGs if exams do not go ahead in the future. Respondents also generally agreed that this would not add significant burden to students, schools and colleges, beyond their existing assessment arrangements. Respondents were more likely to disagree than agree, however, that the proposed guidance would minimise additional teacher workload. A variety of views were expressed throughout the consultation responses, and some themes emerged in responses across multiple questions.

For VTQs and qualifications other than GCSEs, AS and A levels, AEA and Project qualifications, which are used for progression to further or higher study, the majority of respondents agreed with the proposal that awarding organisations should be required to consider if it is necessary and appropriate to have resilience arrangements in place, and if so, to provide guidance to their centres on the arrangements. Respondents did, however, request further clarification and highlight areas of concern with the proposed approach. These comments were received across multiple questions relating to the proposed approach and covered the following themes.

Original consultation

Consultation description

Exams and formal assessments went ahead in 2022 for the first time since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and are expected to continue, as normal, from now on.The government does not expect to be in the situation again where exams do not go ahead. However, it remains good public policy to have contingency arrangements, even for extremely unlikely scenarios.

For GCSEs, AS and A levels, Project Qualifications, and AEA in maths, we propose to provide guidance for schools, colleges and other exam centres about the collection and retention of evidence of student performance.

For VTQs used alongside or instead of GCSEs, AS and A levels for progression to further or higher study, we propose that similar arrangements should be put in place, but these would need to be set by awarding organisations to allow the arrangements to reflect the design of their qualifications. We propose that it should be for awarding organisations to determine if and/or what such guidance might be, noting the need for them to take into account the proposed approach for GCSEs and A levels. This would include Technical Qualifications within T Levels. For other VTQs, which assess occupational or professional competence, proficiency, or act as a licence to practise, these resilience arrangements would not apply.

Ofqual proposes to require all awarding organisations to consider whether it is necessary to have resilience arrangements in place for their particular qualifications, and, where necessary, for those awarding organisations to issue guidance to schools and colleges on collecting evidence of student performance.

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