The u-turn was, of course, brought about by the very simple fact that it was patently unfair to judge a child's future based on how other, previous cohorts had performed. In hindsight such injustice should have been obvious to everyone - politicians, educationalists, unions and teachers alike - but in truth most of them missed it.
The algorithm was introduced for the very best of reasons, to maintain the integrity of the examination system, and whether we like it or not the u-turn has brought the integrity of this year's results into doubt.
Of 718,226 A Levels taken this year only 2,155 were failed, 99.7% of candidates passed. There were 18,418 failures last year.
Astonishingly, according to The Daily Telegraph, not one single candidate failed German, Spanish, Classical subjects or performing / expressive arts.
A failure to have failures matters because by its very nature it devalues the attainments of those who have passed.
U-turning on grades last week was the politic and immediately expedient move, but those who benefitted may come to regret it yet.
There is a distinct possibility that 2020 will become known as the year that grades didn't mean what their certificates proclaimed them to be. That an A, B or C this year never did mean quite as much as it did in 2019 or 2021.
Of course, for most, A Levels will be a stepping stone to another stage of education and in time the anomaly of 2020 will be forgotten; but for some it will forever be an albatross that hovers over their academic careers.
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This morning The Daily Telegraph reported that almost 100% of last week's A Levels were passed after the Government's u-turn on using an algorithm that included standardisation against a school's past performance to determine grades.
The u-turn was, of course, brought about by the very simple fact that it was patently unfair to judge a child's future based on how other, previous cohorts had performed. In hindsight such injustice should have been obvious to everyone - politicians, educationalists, unions and teachers alike - but in truth most of them missed it.
The algorithm was introduced for the very best of reasons, to maintain the integrity of the examination system, and whether we like it or not the u-turn has brought the integrity of this year's results into doubt.
Of 718,226 A Levels taken this year only 2,155 were failed, 99.7% of candidates passed. There were 18,418 failures last year.
Astonishingly, according to The Daily Telegraph, not one single candidate failed German, Spanish, Classical subjects or performing / expressive arts.
A failure to have failures matters because by its very nature it devalues the attainments of those who have passed.
U-turning on grades last week was the politic and immediately expedient move, but those who benefitted may come to regret it yet.
There is a distinct possibility that 2020 will become known as the year that grades didn't mean what their certificates proclaimed them to be. That an A, B or C this year never did mean quite as much as it did in 2019 or 2021.
Of course, for most, A Levels will be a stepping stone to another stage of education and in time the anomaly of 2020 will be forgotten; but for some it will forever be an albatross that hovers over their academic careers.