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students who recently received their A-level results faced significant challenges. The class of 2023 only just experienced their first formal exams this summer as they were previously awarded their GCSEs through teacher assessment due to the pandemic. They belong to a cohort that is still recovering from the immense social and psychological disruptions caused by the Covid-19 years, as schools slowly return to normalcy.
Those who achieved the grades they desired, as well as those who excelled in T-levels and BTecs, should rightfully consider it an exceptional accomplishment. Those who fell short due to the highly unusual circumstances were extremely unfortunate. The government’s premature decision to revert to pre-pandemic grading in England, unlike Wales or Northern Ireland, resulted in the largest-ever decline in results. The percentage of A* and A grades dropped from 35.9% to 26.5%, while the number of low grades awarded significantly increased compared to 2019.
This unnecessary disappointment was forced upon students whose school experience was undeniably shaped by the pandemic. It is truly bizarre for the education secretary, Gillian Keegan, to claim that employers won’t care about grades in the future. Exams taken during adolescence should never carry a make-or-break mentality. However, good grades boost self-esteem and reinforce the idea that hard work is rewarded. Regardless, results day tends to be memorable. The return to pre-pandemic norms should have been delayed until the last group of students affected by Covid had completed their exams.
Beyond this specific cohort, the government’s intention to move on from Covid-related considerations risks perpetuating existing inequalities. A recent survey by the Social Mobility Foundation revealed that disadvantaged and low-income students had less access to catch-up tutoring compared to their more affluent peers. Thursday’s results and university acceptance figures further confirmed the widening gap between the most and least deprived students, as well as between independent and state schools, since 2019. The achievement gap between poorer regions and London and the south-east emphasizes the urgent need for increased educational investment in those areas most impacted by the pandemic.
For school-leavers who have secured a place at their desired university, as well as those navigating the competitive clearing process, the coming weeks will be filled with excitement and anticipation. After enduring such a disrupted school experience, they deserve a better university experience. However, the government must take action. The current capped tuition fee funding model for universities in England is not effective: institutions are financially strained, lecturers are striking over pay, and students from disadvantaged backgrounds are burdened with excessive debt.
Rishi Sunak and Ms. Keegan may long for a return to 2019, but England’s universities, like its schools, require a new approach considering the impact of the pandemic and the pressures of the cost of living crisis. The 18-year-olds heading to university this autumn also deserve a better deal.
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