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Extra support measures for GCSE and A-Level students welcomed, but ‘too slow,’ says Labour

SOME students are still falling far behind the curve in revising for 2021 exams, the government was warned today after extra support measures had been announced.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson unveiled a set of policies aimed at to “boost fairness and support students” for next summer’s GCSE and A-level exams in England, to make up for the prolonged disruption caused by Covid-19.

The measures include more generous grading, advance notice of exam topics, crib sheets during some exams and “back-up” tests in July to give students a second chance to sit a paper if they have to miss exams or assessments due to illness or self-isolation.

Those who cannot sit exams due to self-isolation rules will still get a grade based on their teacher’s assessment.

Labour shadow education secretary Kate Green welcomed the measures but said they were “too slow” and would “still bake in fundamental inequities between students who’ve suffered different levels of disruption to their learning.”

National Education Union (NEU) joint general secretary Dr Mary Bousted said the measures would be “insufficient” without “further adjustments” to help pupils worst impacted by self-isolation.

These students include 20 per cent of secondary pupils who have been told to stay home in the final week due to high infection rates in their areas, as well as 700,000 pupils who have no access to laptops or the internet at home, she said.

Dr Bousted raised concern over how grading students more generously will be executed.

She said: “Because grades are awarded by putting students in a rank order, those who have had less opportunity to prepare for the exams — for example because of repeated periods of isolation — will be placed further down that rank order.”

Dr Bousted added that details on the advance notice of topics are “needed now.”

She said: “Schools do not teach the syllabus in the same order which means that many students, and in particular those who have had repeated periods of isolation, will not have been taught the topics included on the exam paper.

“Delays to details will mean that these students will have to play catch up while others are beginning their revision.”

A-levels and GCSE exams have been cancelled in Wales, and Nationals in Scotland have also been cancelled, but Highers and Advanced Highers will be taken two weeks later than usual.

Mr Williamson said he “absolutely” could give a cast-iron guarantee that exams in England will not be cancelled.

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