Class of COVID

So far on this blog, I have talked about coronavirus and the situation around the world from a blogger's perspective - relatively well informed, speaking the facts. This week there will be less facts, more opinion. This crisis is affecting everyone, and my generation in particular is facing issues that could affect our future in a very significant way.

I am in year 11, and in 4 days I would have been sitting in my school exam hall, just like thousands of others around the country, waiting for the AQA Biology Paper 1 exam to begin. Obviously, that isn't happening anymore. I remember coming home from school 6 weeks ago, not knowing that I might not be going back in a long time. I remember sitting on the sofa, leaned forward, as Gavin Williamson announced to the House of Commons that all schools in England would be closed due to COVID-19, and that all public exams in Summer 2020 would be cancelled.

As any other young person my age will tell you, the initial reaction to this announcement was incredibly positive. We didn't have to be under immense pressure to perform well in exams that could change our lives; we didn't have to go to school anymore and we were free to do as we pleased! But as time passed, and more information trickled its way towards us from the Government about how our grades are going to be decided, we began to discover that the closing of schools and cancellation of GCSEs and A-Levels had a bad side.

Our grades now are going to be up to our teachers - their opinions of how we would have performed had we sat the exam as well as work completed in the past. Given the current situation, this is potentially the best we could have asked for. This method takes into account our skills and ability, as well as providing clear evidence why the candidate deserves that particular grade - it is the method that reflects upon all the information, and uses it all to come to one final decision: a grade.

In this new system, the grades rely not only on evidence and opinions provided by teachers to the exam boards, but also rankings of students per subject per grade, for example everyone achieving a grade 7 in English Language would be ranked, with number 1 being the most secure and highest attaining student. These ranks allow the exam boards to standardise the results, comparing them to previous years and making sure that there was not to much bias involved in the decision making, ensuring that the proportions of grades across the population stayed relatively similar. Standardising comes in if, for example, 10% of people get a grade 9 this year but only 5% do normally, certifying that the grades given are fair and reasonable.

To round off, the grades that we get from this are incredibly important for our future - GCSEs provide a way for Sixth Forms and Colleges to differentiate between candidates and decide who gets in and who doesn't. There is the option to retake an exam in Autumn if you are not happy with the grade received, giving everyone the chance to get the grades that truly reflect our capabilities. This year is one that most of us will never forget - whether it is the historic cancellation of exams or any of the other devastating effects of this crisis, 2020 is surely a year to remember, but remember - this pandemic is not over just yet.

Thank you for spending your time to read this and if you liked this, please drop a comment and a like.

Stay home, stay safe.

See you next week!