ISC CEO urges ministers to avoid 'politicising' 2024 exam results
Chief executive of the ISC Julie Robinson has called on the government to focus on congratulating pupils for their achievements.
This year’s school leavers will be the first in five years to have sat both their GCSE and A level exams following disruption from the Covid pandemic. According to one forecast, up to 16,000 fewer top grades could be awarded if exam regulators “stick to their guns” and return grading to pre-pandemic levels after years of inflation. This would lead to the proportion of A*s and As falling to 25.4 per cent – down from 27.2 per cent in 2023 and 36.4 per cent in 2022.
Speaking to The Telegraph as 320,000 pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland prepared to receive their A level results, Ms Robinson said: “I’m hoping it won’t be politicised, we need it not to be politicised – so I would hope that everyone from politicians to parents all just want to see children thrive.
“I’m hoping that the focus will be on the success of those pupils and the results of their hard work – these are the children that have come through Covid. They have not had an easy time – I’m fully expecting the focus to be on congratulating their results, whichever schools they’ve been to.”