2023 Exams Update For Parents
As we approach the first set of mocks, I wanted to update you on a number of issues relating to examinations in the summer of 2023 that have been addressed by government publications this week.
Most importantly, I want to emphasise that nothing has been published which we had not anticipated, and so our plans for this academic year are unchanged; we believe that our planned ‘journeys’ for Year 11 and Upper Sixth students will help them to be very well-prepared for the challenges of summer examinations.
Return to normality
Ofqual has reiterated that examination arrangements will “largely return to pre-pandemic arrangements next summer”. This means that subjects can be assessed on the full breadth of content and will not have the advanced information that was given last summer. In line with this, Ofqual has confirmed that “GCSE, AS and A-levels will return to pre-pandemic grading in 2023, as planned.”
Formulae and equation sheets
The one exception to the above is that “students will be provided with support materials in the form of formulae and revised equations sheets, in the exams for 2023 only, for GCSE Mathematics, Physics and Combined Science.” We have not yet seen the exact format of these materials but will share them with pupils as soon as we are able to do so.
Arrangements for cancelled examinations
Finally, Ofqual have considered what could happen in the highly unlikely event that examinations are cancelled. The primary message throughout this document is that “the government believes that it is very unlikely that exams will not go ahead as planned in 2023” and so specific guidance on how to determine grades will only be published if needed.
Schools have been encouraged to follow their own assessment arrangements as normal, though we have also been advised to inform students of any assessments that could be used as part of determining a final grade, were this to occur. In this situation we would be likely to use any Non-Examined Assessment (NEA) and mock examinations as part of our evidence base.
At Princethorpe, we run mock examinations as a formative exercise; they are designed to help students to improve by identifying strengths and weaknesses and giving them an experience of what real examinations will be like. As such, we would anticipate that many grades awarded in the first set mocks in particular are lower than those achieved by students in the summer in many cases and would expect this to be factored into any decision making were we to use the data they provide for any other purpose.
I hope that this update is both useful and reassuring to you and your son or daughter. We look forward to discussing their progress with you following January’s mock examinations as we continue to work together to help them achieve as highly as possible in the summer.
Please do not hesitate to be in touch if you have any queries or concerns on these matters.
Best wishes,
