Schools in England are braced for turmoil on Thursday when about 250,000 pupils are due to receive their A-level results following the cancellation of exams due to the coronavirus pandemic. Grades will be issued according to an algorithm that relies on a school’s recent exam history and each pupil’s past exam results, as well as grades submitted by teachers.

Professor Kalwant Bhopal of the University of Birmingham said, “Many students felt the pandemic would increase inequalities within schools, including those of race and ethnicity and those related to different types of schools. They felt that sitting exams was one way of proving their ability despite such inequalities and that this opportunity had been taken away from them.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, visiting a school in east London on Monday, said he understood the fears of pupils awaiting results. “Clearly, because of what has happened this year, there is some anxiety about what grades pupils are going to get, and everybody understands the system that the teachers are setting the grades, then there’s a standardisation system. We will do our best to ensure that the hard work of pupils is properly reflected.”

Schools were asked to submit the grades they thought students would have received if they had sat the exams, as well as pupil rankings, and exam boards have moderated those grades, taking into account the prior attainment of the pupil and their school, to ensure this year’s results are not significantly higher than previous years.

The former head of Ofsted the schools watchdog, Sir Michael Wilshaw said he thought the system was “grossly unfair” and called for students to have an individual right of appeal. “I think it’s a mess and I think there will be huge injustices,” he said. “The results will be based on the previous performance of schools and not of individual students. Having worked in schools that have failed an inspection or are in special measures, you will always find children who buck the trend and are doing very well. Individual students must have the right to appeal.”

In her letter to vice-chancellors, the universities minister, Michelle Donelan, called on institutions to be flexible and take into account a range of evidence when choosing which students to admit. “We expect the vast majority of grades to be accurate, but it is essential that we have this safety net for young people who may otherwise be held back from moving on to their chosen route,” she wrote.

Labour’s Kate Green, the shadow education secretary, added, “The government was warned weeks ago about the lack of proper process to address the potential unequal impact on children from different backgrounds, but they were too slow to react. It’s not good enough for the prime minister to simply say he recognises the concern. Ministers must give a cast-iron guarantee that the process will be fair and transparent.”

Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, said, “I’m confident in the system the exam regulator Ofqual has put in place is fundamentally a fair one that will award the vast majority of students a calculated grade that genuinely reflects the grade they would have achieved. We know that without exams even the best system is not perfect. That is why I welcome the fact that Ofqual has introduced a robust appeal system, so every single student can be treated fairly—and today we are asking universities to do their part to ensure every young person can progress to the destination they deserve.”

[A] believes that exams are the best way to evaluate a student’s ability.

[B] urges that the government should do more than just pay lip service.

[C] suggests that colleges need to take a wide range of admission factors into consideration to protect students that are unfairly graded.

[D] argues that good students in poorly performing schools will probably be downgraded and they should have the opportunity for grade appeals.

[E] holds that the exam regulatory body has done the best it could and now it is time universities did their job.

[F] says that the coronavirus pandemic has raised concerns among students over rising educational inequalities.

[G] declares that the government is committed to making sure calculated grades genuinely reflect students’ effort.

Kalwant Bhopal