Teaching unions today vowed to push on with legal action against the exams watchdog after it blamed teachers for the fiasco over GCSE English results.
In a damning report, Ofqual said the problems with this summer’s English results were caused by teachers “significantly” over-marking pupils’ work to boost course work results.
There was outrage in August when grade boundaries for the exam were changed, leaving thousands of teenagers without the crucial C-grade they had expected to get.
Chief Executive Glenys Stacey said grade boundaries had to be toughened because teachers were engaging in “tactical operations” to ensure good results.
New figures show pupils are disproportionately likely to get the marks needed for a C-grade in elements of the GCSE that are marked by teachers.
This is partly due to the pressure league tables put on schools, and the fact schools are judged on how many students pass the English exam, the report said.
The design of the tests also means teachers can work out exactly how many marks a student needs in their controlled assessment in order for them to get a C overall, the report said. Changes to GCSEs are being made to ensure the problem does not happen again.
The number of modules is being cut and in future teachers will not be able to work out the grades each student needs while marking.
Ofqual said the shift in grade boundaries was needed to maintain standards. But teachers today reacted furiously to the claims.
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A coalition of schools, unions and local authorities is already taking Ofqual to court over the decision, along with awarding body AQA and examination board Edexcel. They want students’ exams to be regraded.
Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said: “The decision to shift the boundaries came without warning and has inflicted a great injustice on students whose chances to continue in education, employment or apprenticeships have been scuppered by the failures of Ofqual.
“It is for this reason, and with great regret, that the NUT and a large coalition of unions, teachers’ professional bodies, local councils and schools have issued High Court proceedings against Ofqual and exam boards AQA and Edexcel.”
Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary of ASCL, which represents 80 per cent of secondary school head-teachers, said: “ For Ofqual to suggest that teachers and schools are to blame is outrageous, and flies in the face of the evidence. Ofqual is responsible for ensuring fairness and accuracy in the system.
“The fact remains that different standards were applied to the exams in June and January and this is blatantly wrong. The accountability measures do place tremendous pressure on teachers and schools, especially at GCSE grade C, but to say that teachers would compromise their integrity to the detriment of students is an insult.”
