SASHA HAXELL INVESTIGATES
Should 2021 exams be cancelled in England?
Students in 2021 have missed over 6 months of school. Whilst some better off schools have had continuous virtual lessons, other poorer schools havenot been able to provide either very little or absolutely no help. Are students lazy for wanting the 2021 exams cancelled?
SASHA HAXELL
4th December 2020
By now, most will be familiar with the scandal surrounding the algorithm that unfairly downgraded many GCSE and A Level students from historically poor areas. However, as the education system is just starting to recover, there is a new scandal arising that may have slipped the attention of much of the public.
The government announced on the 16th March 2020 that schools were to close for everyone except the children of essential workers. And for many students due to take exams in 2021, lessons continued to ensure their students were prepared- abielt virtually through video chat and communication platforms.
Education without having to leave the house ridiculously early?
​
Now THAT is what we call a pro gamer move.
However, for schools that don't have as much access to technology, this was not a viable option. Some students reported no assistance from staff on issues ranging from school work to mental health. This creates huge disparities between those and the students who were able to access these resources
This leads to the issue with exams. Everyone in the country will sit the same exam, even though not everyone has had the same amount of teacher contact. So, should exams be sat in the summer of 2021?
On the 10th November 2020, Wales cancelled both GCSE's and A Levels. Almost a Welsh education minister Kirsty Williams stated that it would not be possible to "guarantee an equal playing field". In England, whilst exams have been delayed by 3 weeks, headteachers and trade unions have cited this is not enough. Yesterday, the Department For Education announced that students in England would be given advance notice of some of the topics being assessed in their papers, as well as the allowance of formula sheets and an additional exam series for students that are unable to sit the June exams. In addition, Scotland cancelled their National 4's (equivalent to GCSE's) and then cancelled their National 5's (equivalent to A Level's) 2 days ago.
​
However, students and teachers unions have already expressed concerns that these changes wil not be enough to combat the knowledge gaps between regions, as well as between state and private schools.
The quality of lessons over lockdown will undoubtedly create unfair advantages with regards to exam performance. Students that were fortunate enough to both be provided with virutal teacher contact and have a stable enough network connection to not be plagued with constant connectivity issues would have obviously shown better academic performance over lockdown than someone who has had the priveledge and access to these resources.
​
In addition, as exams have become a matter for the devolved nations, students in England and Northern Ireland will face rigorous examinations to get into universities whereas students in Scotland and Wales will rely on centre assessed grades. This poses two issues. Initially, English and Northern Irish students will be disadvantaged as they will have scary, life affirming examinations that will cost students entry to sixth form / university. However, at the point of sixth form / college & university, as Scottish and Welsh students would not have had the experience of exams, they too will miss out on the opportunity to practise key academic and assessed skills that will benefit them at the next stage of their life.
To gain some insight into lockdown learning and the consequences on exams in 2021, I spoke to 3 A Level students about how this situation impacted them:
Chanelle Wilson Fowler, one of the most frequent contributors to Sasha Haxell Investigates- dropping on Friday 18th December right here on BBC3
Chanelle Wilson Fowler
What do you think about the government's decision to provide advanced exam materials to help guide revision?
To be honest, it was kind of pointless. The government tried to lift the weight off exam pressure but seemed to fail. The mixture of Covid pressure in combination with the fact there's this common attitude from older people outside of the education world that exams have been made "easier" for us? Whilst I appreciate the advantage I feel like there is more to be done.
Do you believe exams should be cancelled this year?
Cancelling exams is a good idea. The general mental health of people is at such a low point right now so the pressure of exams is only making things worse. Also, schools that didn't have the priviledge of doing online lessons will be really behind and 3 weeks isn't enough to compensate for that. In addition, we are still in a pandemic. Students getting ill with Covid are missing valuable lesson time and Covid isn't going to just disappear when the exams start. The thought of having to do exams and the thought of more delays just adds to my anxieties about staying safe due to Covid.
How did you find learning in lockdown?
The teachers were good and mostly understanding. Having said that, it was still really difficult concentrating in my house as I simultaneously had to look after my siblings and pets. Furthermore, there was a lot of technical difficulties we experienced and these were very hard to get around. Me and my class lost a few lessons due to these difficulties. These issues slowed my learning down and it was a lot more ineffective than if I had been in school.
​
​
​
​
How prepared do you feel for summer exams?
To be honest Coronavirus has made me very unmotivated and more worried than usual. I'm learning the content at a good pace in school but due to all that time spent outside of school, Year 13 has become very tiring and I'm struggling to keep up with revision and coursework. As things stand, I don't feel very prepared.
Supporters of exams cite the failures of the algorithm and the belief that exams are genuinely the fairest way to measure academia.
Well Sasha it is undoubtable that the algorithm failed to moderate grades properly. I think, given the circumstances that we've missed 6 months of being in school unlike all previous cohorts that have sat exams, a much fairer system would be to consider the work we have already been able to complete- such as mocks, class assessment and book work. Exams alone are not the right way to assess us. Coursework can also be a good alternative as it tracks progress throughout the year. I'm revising and trying my absolute hardest but I really don't feel prepared for exams.
Luke Sedge
Hey Luke, do you believe exams should take place this year?
Yes I do. Having read about the algorithm that messed up so many results last year, I genuinely believe that exams are in our best interests.
People who don't support exams argue that lockdown hindered their education and therefore don't feel prepared to sit exams. What would you say to ease those fears?
I think lockdown hindered everyone's education and since lockdown has impacted the entire country, this will be reflected proportionately within the grade boundaries. As everyone would have been impacted, then the grade boundaries will be easier to access. As lockdown has been universal, I am confident the results will still be accurate and reflective of people's determination to study.
How did you find learning in thse unprecedented circumstances?
Learning has been quite difficult this year to be honest Sasha. The idea of online lessons was useful so I can prepare for exams. Obviously, nothing can replace the value of face to face teacher contact but it was the best alternative given the circumstances.
How do you rate the government's handling of 2021 exams in spite of Coronavirus?
I believe that the government's decision top postpone exams for 3 weeks was the best one. I personally believe that if the exams were based from mock exams and centre assessed grades- results will not reflect the grades that people actually deserve. In 2020, some students were graded lower than they deserved whereas some students were graded way higher than they deseved. The 3 week postponement can compensate for the lack of lockdown education and still produce accurate data.
Lisa Chishaka
NOTE: This interview was completed before the government's announcement about UK exams
Hi Lisa, let's get straight to it. Do you think exams should be able to continue this year and why?
No I don't Sasha. At the end of Year 12, during the most crucial part of my course, I was at home. I found it a lot harder to learn the content I need for my exam.
One of the criticisms of exams being cancelled last year was they felt the algorithm didn't provide a fair representation of their efforts. What would you say to the people seeing this that go to school right now to calm them down?
Centre assessed grades still reflect your efforts as mock exams are used to form the grade. The algorithm is definitely flawed and if they cancel exams, I find it hard to believe that the government will use that exact same system again- and thus things will at least be a little fairer. For me, as we missed so much time being at school, me and most students are not ready to take the final exam in the summer.
What was your personal lockdown experience?
I didn't find it good. I like to learn through talking and a lot of the lessons had to be recorded because of missing students, which would mean I couldn't talk through my questions with the teacher. This made it a lot harder for me to articulate my points. This was similar not just for me but for my friends as well. When me and my friend Archie were looking back on lockdown, we both talked about the sheer amount of technical issues. This would mean that teaching was disrupted. For instance, there were scenarios where our teacher would be randomly kicked out the call by their device. In addition, my friend often has very strong paranoia and fear of being late. However, her internet would crash meaning she would be late regardless. And this caused a lot of unneccessary paranoia.
Finally, to what extent would a clear decision from the government help relieve your stress?
It would leviate a lot of stress. There has been a lot of U turns and delays which means alot of my friends are getting their hopes up about exams getting cancelled. And, the cancellation / confirmation of exams would help prioritise my work.