Their is a clear uncertainty about how the summer exam series is going to be assessed, especially after it was announced in December that summer exams will be cancelled for the second year running. However, it has not yet been confirmed what the alternative measures will be, other than that the Education Secretary is currently working with Ofqual to put these in place.
It appears that the 2021 A-level and GCSE will be decided using a similar system to last year, in the form of teacher-assessed grades. Last year, the algorithm used to predict A-level grades saw many student’s results be downgraded by multiple levels, causing a U-turn with students being given their predicted grades. Due to this ambiguity, it would be beneficial for all students to maximise their teacher assessed in order to prepare for all potential assessment forms. Below are some helpful tips, in order to help improve student’s GCSE and A-Level assessed scores:
Put Effort in all Aspects of Studying and Assessment
If teacher assessed grades are the main form of assessment taken into account when awarding student grades it is important that students put their best foot forward and provide evidence of the high grades they are wanting to achieve. To do this, students need to put effort into all aspects of studying and in-class assessments especially following Mr Williamson’s statement confirming that he wishes “to use a form of teacher-assessed grades, with training and support provided, to ensure these are awarded fairly and consistently across the country.” This means teachers need evidence to award these grades so every piece of homework and classwork may be taken into account, therefore it is important for students to try their absolute hardest with both homework, smaller assessments and to participate in class.
Keep Revising
Despite the main summer exam series being cancelled, we urge all students to carry on revising as the assessment plans have not yet been confirmed and there are talks about a system of smaller exams/tests similar to mocks in order to provide evidence for the teacher assessed grades. By losing the momentum now and stopping revision just because the main exam series have been cancelled, it may be detrimental to the student’s future success including both assessments but also performance in the next stages of education e.g. A-levels and Degree level. So to optimise success, it is important for students to understand that exams being cancelled is not an excuse to become complacent and unfocused.
Work With a Tutor
To ensure that you have optimised your academic ability, we would recommend students to work with a tutor so that their teacher assessed grades are optimised by learning techniques and content effectively, in order to perform well in a classroom setting.
