Students who appeal their grades will be admitted to the University of Oxford next year. The decision amid confusion from students whose grades were revised down after being run on a computer model.
The spread of coronavirus in the UK meant that schools were not able to sit for their A-level and GCSE. A solution, however, had to be sought to determine students who would be eligible to continue with their post-secondary education. Teachers were asked to estimate the grade each student could have gotten if they were to sit for the exams and forward the grades to the examination body.
Grading controversy
However, the final grades that the students were given did not match what the teachers had awarded their students. England’s exams regulator, Ofqual and the Department of Education had a computer model that they used to award marks to students.
The results of these remodeling of exam grades saw 39.1 percent of grades that were awarded by teachers downgraded by a grade or more. This has led to confusion from teachers and students who were expecting different results, only to receive and adjusted GCSE exam results.
After much uproar and confusion about the adjusted across the country, the government, the Department of Education and the exam board decided to allow appeal of the exam results by students. Students were told to use their mock exam results to make an appeal if they want their grades readjusted again. This process will take time, but the government indicated that this was the only solution for students who were dissatisfied with their results.
University of Oxford decision
The University of Oxford has indicated that, for students challenging their exam results, they will have to start their classes in 2021 after a successful appeal. The decision by the university comes amidst the confusion across the country on how students will proceed with their education.
In a statement by the University of Oxford spokesperson said that students who are appealing their courses will be deferred to next year, once the vacancies are filled. The spokesperson insisted that the impact the coronavirus has caused in the country had been a major concern. To ensure that all students in the university were safe, the university had decided to take the few number of students in order to be able to implement social distancing, which would help in curbing the spread of the virus.
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