Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

A-level testing row makes pupils jittery

by LAUREN CODLING

TWO A-Level students have said they still feel unsure about their future after the government reversed its decision over the grading system on Monday (17) after a barrage of criticism.


Downing Street made a u-turn on assessing grade predictions via a mathematical model as it was revealed that results for almost 40 per cent of students taking the main school-leaving exams had been lowered.

Now, students will be awarded the grades their teachers had predicted for them based on past performance. Education secretary Gavin Williamson has since apologised for the distress felt by young people and their parents.

Musthakim Billahkarim, 18, and Rawdah Uddin, 17, received their A-Level results last week. They received lower grades than initially predicted. Although both students have welcomed the change by government, they have expressed uncertainties about the latest announcement.

Uddin, a student at Eastbury community school in Barking, east London, claimed many were still confused on how the grading system would work. “I asked my teachers but they admitted that no one really knew the details because the government had changed it so quickly,” she told Eastern Eye. “There aren’t enough details on how it will happen, if you have to appeal or if (your grades) will change automatically.

“People are still panicking and no one at my school knows anything about it.”

Billahkarim, a student at Swanlea School in Whitechapel, east London, missed out on an adjustment university place at University College London (UCL) after he was downgraded.

Now, his predicted grades mean that he would be able to enrol. However, Billahkarim is still uncertain if he will be accepted.

“After the u-turn, I was happy because I did receive an A* in maths that put me in a stronger position than before so I’m going to try to get in contact with UCL, to see if I can get a position,” he told Eastern Eye. “But I’m nervous with all the uncertainty and the sudden changes that have been made.”

On the initial grading system, Uddin said she felt “cheated”. She had applied to study English literature at Queen Mary’s university. Predicted an A* for the subject, the algorithm gave her a B grade. Although her offer was unconditional so her position at the institute was unaffected, she felt let down by the result.

“You can’t help but feel disappointed when you’ve put in so much work and effort,” she said. “Although it did not affect my university application, I was upset when I got downgraded – I knew if I could have sat the exam, I would have gotten a better grade but the algorithm brought it down.”

Billahkarim echoed similar thoughts. “Although (my results) were still good, it wasn’t what I was expecting,” Billahkarim said. “Considering the amount of work that I’ve put in, I was hoping for one or two A* grades. When I didn’t see one A*, I was just a bit disappointed.”

Despite the uncertainty, Billahkarim believes the government made the right decision in allowing students to be graded by their teachers. “Teachers are the ones who know their students and they have the fairest judgement,” he said. “It is the best decision they could have made and it has made more students feel better about the outcome.”

According to a recent YouGov poll, 75 per cent of respondents thought the government had handled the situation badly. Some 40 per cent thought Williamson should resign.

More For You

JLR-Tata-Getty

JLR had initially planned to manufacture more than 70,000 electric vehicles at the facility. (Photo: Getty Images)

JLR halts plan to build EVs at Tata’s India plant: Report

JAGUAR LAND ROVER (JLR) has put on hold plans to manufacture electric vehicles at Tata Motors’ upcoming £775 million factory in southern India, according to a news report.

The decision was influenced by challenges in balancing price and quality for locally sourced EV components, three of the sources said. They added that slowing demand for electric vehicles was also a factor.

Keep ReadingShow less
Leicester drug supplier Sarju Khushal jailed for 11 years over £2m operation

Sarju Khushal

Leicester drug supplier Sarju Khushal jailed for 11 years over £2m operation

A MAN who supplied controlled drugs on a ‘wholesale’ scale across Leicestershire has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. Sarju Khushal, 30, was arrested in 2022 after investigations revealed he had been transporting drugs from Lancashire into the area.

Khushal, formerly of Hazeldene Road, Leicester, pleaded guilty to several charges, including the supply and conspiracy to supply class A drugs. He was sentenced at Leicester crown court last Thursday (6).

Keep ReadingShow less
Tamil Nadu Education

Tamil, one of the oldest living languages in the world, is a source of pride for the state’s people

Getty images

Education or imposition? Tamil Nadu battles India government over Hindi in schools

A war of words has erupted between Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister MK Stalin and the federal government over the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which recommends a three-language formula in schools, with two of the three being native to India. Stalin has voiced strong objections, claiming that the policy could lead to the imposition of Hindi, a northern Indian language, in non-Hindi-speaking states like Tamil Nadu. The issue has reignited old tensions between southern states and the central government over the privileging of Hindi.

Historical resistance to Hindi

Tamil Nadu has a deep-rooted history of opposing the promotion of Hindi, dating back to the 1960s. Protests broke out in the state when the federal government attempted to make Hindi the sole official language, leading to a compromise that allowed the continued use of English. Language in Tamil Nadu is not merely a means of communication but a powerful symbol of cultural identity. Tamil, one of the oldest living languages in the world, is a source of pride for the state’s people. As a result, any perceived threat to its prominence is met with strong resistance.

Keep ReadingShow less
Former Bristol MP Thangam Debbonaire enters House of Lords as Baroness

Thangam Debbonaire

Former Bristol MP Thangam Debbonaire enters House of Lords as Baroness

FORMER Bristol MP Thangam Debbonaire has taken her seat in the House of Lords after being awarded a life peerage last month.

The 58-year-old, who represented Bristol West for Labour from 2015 until July’s general election, wore the traditional scarlet robes during her introductory ceremony. She will now be known as Baroness Debbonaire of De Beauvoir Town in the London Borough of Hackney.

Keep ReadingShow less