GCSE and A-level students face further pressure as exam boards become more lenient after pandemic

GCSE and A-Level exams begin this week with a reduction in government support for the first time post lockdown throughout Sheffield and the rest of the UK.

What has changed?

After more than three years of disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the government have decided to return to pre-pandemic arrangements.

This marks the first time since 2019 that students have faced a full series or exams without any serious adjustments.

While the leniency may offer some relief, students may also feel a heightened sense of pressure to perform well in the altered evaluation system.

In contrast to the 2022 GCSE and A-level exams, students in England have not been informed in advance of the subjects they would likely be tested on. England’s exam regulator has outlined that grades may drop in comparison to 2019.

Are exams ready to go back to pre-pandemic?

Heather Wain, a parent and former physics teacher from Sheffield said: “My observation of the disruptions was really through my son, who was year seven at the time and for a significant time, he was schooling at home or attempting online learning.

“I’m not sure we had the examination system right before covid or that this is something we would want to return completely to but there’s a lot we can learn from the covid period and how we open up the accessibility and make it a little less high stakes on a final examination.

“We are not ready to go back to normal as for the legacy of young people probably for the next 20 years, there will be some lingering impact of the Covid pandemic on their development as people but also in education for a long time to come yet. “

Students were not the only ones who had to adapt in the pandemic, as teachers faced the complex task of complying to new exam marking styles. With previous in-person exams no longer applicable, it led to online assessments. 

Ms Wain said: “There was a burden of responsibility on teachers to get the assessment of grades right so that pupils didn’t feel dissatisfied or that it didn’t reflect your abilities.”

Remaining measures

Students taking their GCSEs will still have access to equation sheets for maths, physics and combined science exams.

Students will also have a more spaced-out timetable between exams so that they have more study time. It also prevents them from missing an exam if a student is exempt from attending.

Finally, if taking a foreign language, students will not be tested on unfamiliar vocabulary, but the exam board has stated that they will supply giving meanings of words that are not usually on their vocabulary lists.

When are the exams?

All student exams began 15 May with the final exams finishing on June 21. GCSE results day will be released 24 August, only a week after A-level students receive their grades.