Transparency data

Board minutes: 13 September 2022

Updated 20 July 2023

Applies to England

This document has been subject to redactions

Date

Tuesday 13 September 2022

Time and Venue

4:00 p.m. via TEAMS

Attendees Board

Ian Bauckham, Chair

Susan Barratt

Hardip Begol

Mark Farrar

Cindy Leslie

Dr Catherine McClellan

Eileen Milner

Chris Paterson

Dame Christine Ryan

Dr Jo Saxton, Chief Regulator

Matt Tee

Ofqual

Richard Garrett, Director of Policy & Strategic Relationships

Daniel Gutteridge, General Counsel

Michael Hanton, Executive Director, Strategy

Cath Jadhav, Executive Director, Standards, Research and Analysis

Catherine Large, Executive Director, Vocational & Technical Qualifications

Jane Parsons, Director of Communications

Charles Scott, Executive Director, Finance & Operations (Interim)

Ian Stockford, Director Strategic Projects, Standards Research & Analysis

Present

Danielle Cartwright, Associate Director, GQ Policy & Strategic Relationships (Item 20/22)

Linda Samuel, Board Secretary

Emma Scott, Director of Operations, VTQ (Item 21/22)

Lydia Waine, Associate Director Legal Establishment

Mary Webb, Head of Private Office

Emma Wild, Associate Director, Standards for DDEGQ (Item 20/22)

17/22 Welcome and Apologies for Absence

Apologies were received from Clare Pelham and Frances Wadsworth

18/22 Declarations of Interest

The Chair advised that the agenda order would change slightly with Item 23/22 being covered first.

23/22 Implementation of Skills Act Clauses relating to Accreditation of TQs in T Levels

RESOLVED

The Board approved an amendment to the Accreditation Criterion so that:

i. The only Technical Qualifications subject to accreditation are those in waves 1 to 4 (and Ofqual would specify those T Levels within the Criterion document).

ii. Once all T Levels in waves 1 to 4 have been accredited, Ofqual will no longer accredit Technical Qualifications. Until that point, if an accredited Technical Qualification requires re-approval by IfATE, Ofqual will take it through an accreditation process.

19/22 Grading in Summer 2023

The Chair advised that, in September 2021, the Board had made an ‘in principle’ decision to return to results being in line with those in 2019 across a 2 year trajectory with a staging post for 2022. The Board had committed to reviewing the situation after the 2022 results had been delivered before finalising their decision.

The Director of Strategic Projects briefed the Board on what returning to results in line with those seen prior to the pandemic might mean and highlighted some of the risks and mitigating factors that could be taken to minimise those risks. In particular the proposal to provide cohort level protection to mitigate against the risk of overall results returning below those of (for example) 2019 was set out.

Matt Tee joined the meeting at 4:35 p.m.

The Board noted that no grading approach would eradicate any social and economic differences in results. The Board was in favour of returning to the pre-pandemic statistical standard. This was on the basis of this approach providing cohort level protection to students in the presence of disruption in a similar way to the arrangements in place through qualifications reform.

The Board noted the stakeholder engagement that had been undertaken, including with students and parents. There was a general desire for a return to ‘normal’ while still recognising that students sitting exams in 2023 have been affected by the pandemic.

RESOLVED

The Board approved the following recommendations:

1. 1. Ofqual should confirm the previously stated policy that summer 2023 will represent a return to pre-pandemic grading for GCSE, AS and A level qualifications, noting that the policy intention will be realised by using the pre-pandemic statistical standard to guide the judgement of awarders when setting grade boundaries, similar to the approach deployed during qualifications reform.

2. 2. Ofqual adopt an approach to grading GCSE English language and GCSE mathematics in autumn 2022 that seeks to align standards with summer 2022.

3. 3. The grading standards for the Level 3 extended project in the November 2022/January 2023 series are set in line with pre-pandemic standards.

4. 4. When determining the approach to awarding Performance Table Qualifications (PTQs) in the 2022/23 academic year, the following principles should be applied:
   1. i. Awarding approaches should support a return to pre-pandemic grading standards, even if this cannot be fully achieved in 2022/23 due to generosity in previous assessments.
   2. ii. AOs should aim to avoid using a different approach to awarding across different series where possible, to avoid unfairness between different series.

5. 5. Individual units contributing to PTQs awarded in the 2022/23 academic year are to be awarded in line with pre-pandemic performance standards.

6. 6. The Core and Occupational Specialism (OS) components of T Level Technical Qualifications (TQs) are awarded with generosity (such that there are slightly lower expectations of performance than during ‘steady-state’ awarding), as is established practice for new qualifications.

7. 7. An approach to grading TQs in winter 2022 is adopted that seeks to align standards with those of summer 2022, subject to decisions taken subsequently about the approach to TQs.

20/22 2023 GQ Adaptations and Contingency Arrangements

The Director of Policy & Strategic Relationships, GQ, reminded the Board of the adaptations and contingencies that had been agreed for summer 2022. Confirmation had already been given by the DfE for a return to full subject content coverage in 2023 for those GCSE subjects that had reduced content in 2022 and Ofqual had confirmed that changes made to coursework for public health reasons would not be carried forward in 2022/23.

The Board was briefed on recommendations for adaptations for summer 2023 and it was noted that any adaptations will require approval from both Ofqual and the DfE. Engagement with students, parents, teachers and schools/colleges had taken place and informed the recommendations.

The Board discussed the recommendations for adaptations, in particular the possible continuation of formulae and equation sheets for GCSEs in 2023 and possibly beyond. The Board recognised this was a ministerial decision but agreed that Ofqual should regulate for such a position if Ministers wished to see it, but that this was agreed for summer 2023 only, with any longer term arrangements to be considered separately.

The Board noted that having contingency arrangements in place for 2023 will increase resilience in the system. In terms of consulting on contingency arrangements for the longer-term, the Board decided this should be considered separately in due course. The recommendation should be kept as a high-level intention with the Board to consider and determine any proposed longer-term arrangements.

RESOLVED

The Board approved the following recommendations:

1. 1. That Ofqual does not put in place arrangements for advance information in 2023 unless the DfE asks Ofqual to do this, either as part of the up-front plans for 2023 or as a contingency to be implemented if circumstances require.

2. 2. That Ofqual recommend to the DfE that they permit the use of formulae and equation sheets in 2023 and, if Ministers agree, we should consult to enable this to happen.

3. 3. That, subject to confirmation from the DfE that they wish to remove the requirement for unfamiliar vocabulary in GCSE modern foreign languages, we consult in parallel with the DfE to make a change to Ofqual’s rules to facilitate this.

4. 4. The Board notes the exam timetable arrangements for summer 2023 and the request for JCQ to align their timetable consultation with Ofqual’s announcement.

5. 5. That Ofqual put contingency arrangements in place in 2023. This will involve consulting jointly with DfE on revised guidance for schools and colleges and to keep the evidence-gathering to a minimum.

6. 6. That later in the academic year Ofqual reflects on any contingency arrangements in place for 2023. Any proposals for consultation on arrangements for longer-term contingency plans will be brought back to the Board for consideration and to take decisions.

7. 7. That the Board delegates to the Chief Regulator, in consultation with the Chair:

   1. a. All necessary subsequent decisions on the arrangements for general qualifications to be awarded in summer 2023 and in relation to contingency arrangements for 2023 and for GCSE modern foreign language qualifications on an on-going basis, subject to them being in line with the position set out. These include, but are not limited to, decisions in relation to the approach to consultation, the policy proposals for consultation, final policy decisions and the implementation of those decisions, including amendment of any regulatory framework.

   2. b. Sign-off of the final form of any consultations, subsequent decisions documents, analysis documents and final wording of any amendments to Ofqual’s regulations.

Apologies were given by Cindy Leslie and Eileen Milner who left the meeting at 6:30 p.m.

21/22 L2/L3 Results Review

This item was re-scheduled for the Board meeting on 21 September 2022.

The meeting finished at 6:47 p.m.