Some students have expressed concerns that their teacher assessed GCSEs will be seen as “fake grades” by employers, Ofqual has said, Schools Week reports.
Child psychology and education experts have been speaking to students in advance of receiving their grades next month about their concerns.
Professor Kevin Woods and Dr Tee McCaldin wrote in a blog for Ofqual:
“They were concerned that universities would be less likely to accept them, or that employers see them as ‘fake grades’.”
In response, the experts claim “everyone is in the same situation” and that all organisations that deal with exam results – such as colleges, universities and employers – are aware of the system this year, so students will not be treated differently “because of how they were awarded”.
Some students thought their teacher might not know them well enough to give them a grade, that they “might even mix them up with someone else in the class” or teachers may be biased towards different pupils.
The experts said that checks will ensure grades are “accurate for students and consistent across schools” as there has been time to plan and learn from last year.
The blog also offers strategies for students to cope with worry about grades, such as breathing techniques.
GCSE and A-level grades are being finalised ahead of results days in the week of August 9.
The blog came after the Sunday Times reported that private schools have been accused of taking advantage of knowing their students’ grades in advance by lobbying top universities and medical schools to take pupils whose performance is too weak to qualify for a place.