Research from the Ofqual examines how GCSE, AS, and A level teacher-assessed grades (TAGs) and some VTQ qualifications have been received by students and teachers.
The experiences of students and teachers using teacher-assessed grades (TAGs) in summer 2021 are described in two Ofqual papers that were released today.
Exams for summer 2021 were cancelled. Teacher evaluations served as the basis for students’ marks for GCSEs, AS and A levels, and numerous vocational qualifications.
TAGs were created using a variety of student-produced evidence and solely on material that had been taught to them.
After TAGs were turned in and before students received their results in August of 2021, Ofqual conducted a survey.
The survey was completed by 550 students and 1,785 members of the teaching staff. To learn more about the experiences and viewpoints of 39 teachers and 14 students, researchers also conducted interviews with them.
The survey revealed a variety of results, including:
- 57% of students said too much time was spent on assessments
- 4 to 6 pieces of evidence were used
- most assessments were taken under exam-like conditions
Different schools and colleges used different methods for creating, marking, and assigning marks for assessments. Nearly all teachers believed that the grades they arrived at were accurate.
Students who responded voiced worries about the evaluation process’s pressure on them and the possibility that various institutions and schools would use different strategies.
The majority of the responding teachers informed us that the procedure was frequently time-consuming and difficult. They didn’t want to take on TAGs in this format again.
Dr. Jo Saxton, Chief Regulator at Ofqual, stated:
“We know from our research that teachers worked incredibly hard to award grades in the exceptional circumstances of summer 2021 and we are grateful to them. TAGs were necessary to allow more than a million students to move on with their lives, but our research highlights the additional burden on teachers and students.
“It’s great that exams and formal assessments have taken place this year, and again, I would like to thank teachers and pay tribute to the resilience of students.”
Another Ofqual report, also released today, examines the statistical correlation between the courses offered for GCSEs and A levels in 2021 in comparison to earlier years. This study is a follow-up to research that was released in the summer of 2020.
TAGs from the previous year and centre assessment grades (CAGs) for 2020 led to usually better marks. The results indicate that between 2021 and 2020, relative topic difficulty fluctuated a little more than is common between tests taken in subsequent years normally.