We are aware of an Open Letter published in The Times which claims exams and assessments are not fit for purpose.
The Department reformed GCSEs to make them more rigorous and put them on a par with expectations in high performing countries, so they better prepare pupils for further study and employment. We also reformed A levels to improve students’ readiness for the demands of higher education. As part of the reforms, coursework was removed in a number of subjects to create more teaching time in the classroom, to make results more reliable.
We continue to work with school and college stakeholders, Ofqual and the exam boards, to ensure that exams in 2021 are fair.
A Department for Education spokesperson said:
Exams and assessments are the best and fairest way of judging students’ performance. We reformed GCSEs and A levels to improve education standards, so they better prepare pupils for further study and employment.
We expect exams to take place next year and are working with Ofqual and the exam boards on our approach, recognising that students will have experienced considerable disruption to their education in the last academic year.