Head boy at Trinity School in Newbury criticises discussion of 'inflated' A-level grades

A NEWBURY head boy has said discussion over inflated grades doesn’t reflect reality.

Harry Craig, who achieved five A* grades in his A-level results at Trinity School and is now going to study history at the University of Exeter, said students had got what they deserved over two years of work.

Much of the discussion in the national press has centred on so-called ‘inflated grades’ following the decision to use teacher-assessed grades for a second successive year, with record numbers achieving A* and A grades.

Students were graded on in-school indicators such as mock results, coursework, assessments and essays after the decision in January to cancel exams this year.

As a result, record numbers of pupils achieved A* and A grades, with the number of the top two grades awarded rising from 38.5 per cent last year to 44.8 per cent this year.

Almost 20 per cent of A-level entries were awarded A*, up from 14.3 per cent last year.

However Harry, who also received 12 9s in his GCSEs, said his year group had still gone through a “very intense” examination process to attain their grades.

He said: “I had about 25 exams over the course of six weeks.

“Although we weren’t having external exams we still had to do them to give our teachers the evidence they need.

“Everyone got what they worked for – the grades will be based on the evidence and the hard work that we’ve put in.

“Inflated grades is not the truth as someone who’s gone through it in reality.”

Harry’s headteacher at Trinity Dr Charlotte Wilson said the grades reflected how pupils had performed over the course of the year.

She said: “When you take out all the things that could go wrong on the day, for example illness, tiredness, lateness, or the paper not showing you the questions you prepared for, you’re left with the best grades students can get so inevitably the grades are going to be more positive.

“We’re looking at how the students performed consistently throughout the year.”

At Thatcham’s Kennet School, Millie Huckins opened A* in history, English literature and psychology and she will also be studying at the University of Exeter, this time for a degree in English literature.

Millie, who hopes to go into publishing, said she was delighted to get the grades after such a “turbulent” year, but that it was a “blow” to have her grades referred to as potentially being inflated, having worked so hard.

She said: “It kind of makes it feel, not worthless, but it dampens the experience a bit.

“I know with Kennet they did so many assessments, so to have our grades referred to being inflated feels a bit of a blow.

“I hope it doesn’t affect my employers.

“I’m not letting it affect me too much because I know I worked really hard for these.”

Schools have been heavily impacted by the pandemic over the past 18 months.

They were first closed in March last year as the first lockdown hit, before reopening for the end of the summer and autumn terms.

An exponential rise in coronavirus cases in the winter then forced schools to close at the beginning of January this year for six weeks, leading to the decision to cancel exams this summer.