Commenting on A-Level, Applied General, T-Levels and other Vocational Technical Qualification results, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said;
“Congratulations to all students receiving results today. The hard work and effort of students, teachers and those supporting them should be commended.
“This day however comes with disproportionate high stakes and unnecessary anxiety for many students. When the entirety of a grade depends on regurgitating two years’ work over a few hours, inevitably some will not demonstrate what they are usually capable of.
“End of course exams are far from the best and fairest way to assess students' skills. Some qualifications awarded today, including AGQs, use a mixture of assessment methods but are no less robust.
“This rigid one size fits all examination system needs to change. The ongoing Curriculum and Assessment Review (CAR) is a generational opportunity to modernise it by creating a curriculum that is engaging and uses assessment methods more closely aligned with the world young people will face. AGQs allow many disadvantaged students access to higher education and the CAR panel's final recommendations should ensure they are retained.
“To ensure all students achieve their best this government needs to end the scourge of child poverty. Young people cannot study effectively if they are hungry, don’t have a proper home or are worried about lack of money."