Government Update

Today students will receive their final GCSE results based on teacher assessed grades, giving them the certainty and reassurance they deserve after the difficult past few months. 

• This has been an extraordinarily difficult year for young people who have been unable to take their exams due to the coronavirus outbreak. 
   
• Although coronavirus caused the cancellation of exams and has overshadowed the annual celebration of results day, we want to ensure that the vast majority of students are able to continue with their dreams of furthering their studies or entering the workplace. 
   
• In March, we had no option but to close schools as part of our efforts to protect the NHS and save lives – but every young person waiting for their results wants to know they have been treated fairly, and that they won’t be disadvantaged through any fault of their own.
   
• That is why Ofqual, in agreement with Government, on Monday decided to award students the grades which schools and colleges assessed they were most likely to have achieved, had exams gone ahead. If students’ calculated grades are higher than the centre assessment grade, their calculated grade will stand. This is the fairest approach to avoid some students receiving grades that did not reflect their prior performance. 
   
• Ofqual are also working to ensure that BTec students can get their results as soon as possible, following a decision by the exam board Pearson to delay results to revise its arrangements to ensure that students’ results are in line with those studying GCSEs and A Levels. 
   
• Exam boards are working to confirm these results as soon as possible, recognising the impact that delays are having on schools, colleges and students, and Ofqual have confirmed that no student’s result will go down as a consequence of regrading. 
   
• The Education Secretary has apologised for the distress this unprecedented situation has caused for young people and their parents, and we hope today’s GCSE results will provide the certainty and reassurance students deserve.

Government action to tackle the coronavirus pandemic:

• We are protecting the NHS so that it is there for people when they need it, increasing the number of ventilators, building new hospitals and reducing coronavirus admissions from more than 3,400 in April to 128 on 5 August. 
   
• We are protecting our brilliant NHS and care workers, delivering over 2.7 billion items of PPE to 58,000 health and care settings. 
   
• Our testing rate is now among the best in the world, equivalent to one test for every five people in the country. 
   
• We are taking unprecedented action to support jobs and livelihoods, providing around £160 billion of support to individuals and businesses across the UK. 
   
• We are looking after those who need extra help, delivering over 3.7 million food boxes to people who were shielding. 
   
• We are leading the world in the development of a vaccine, backing two of the leading coronavirus vaccine programmes here in the UK and contributing £750 million to the international effort to fight the virus.