A-level results are in for Leeds students

Around 4,300 Leeds pupils received their A level results today after a challenging and unprecedented academic year.

On 18 March, the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced that GCSE and A-level exams would be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, schools were asked to produce Centre Assessed Grades for their students.  These are the most likely grades that a young person would have achieved if they had sat the exams in May and June as planned.

To produce these grades, teachers looked at a range of information including class work and the results of mock exams. To ensure that these were fair, the exam boards put all submitted centre assessment grades through a process of standardisation.  This means that, in some cases, submitted results might go up if a school or college appears to have been too harsh with their assessed grades, or down if they seem too generous.  The calculated grades awarded this summer have the same status as grades awarded in any other year.

With the intention of providing young people with further security as they receive their grades, the Department for Education has announced a ‘triple lock’ process this week. Students will be given three choices; they can accept their calculated grades, appeal to receive a valid mock exam result, or alternatively they can opt to sit their exams in the autumn.

Results from this year’s exams will not be collated and used by the Government in performance tables, or by Ofsted to inform inspection judgements. In light of the changes to the examinations process, Leeds City Council will not collect results from schools this year.

Councillor Jonathan Pryor, executive board member for learning, skills and employment said:

“I would like to congratulate everyone on the results they have received today, which as always, are the result of a lot of hard work, effort and determination, as well as the high quality of teaching in our schools and colleges. 

“To say that this year has been challenging for everyone in schools and other learning settings would be an understatement and my heart goes out to those students if they have received unexpected or disappointing grades. It is unfortunate that students have been unable to show what they can do in formal assessments and then had to deal with uncertainty and last minute changes to the awarding process.”

"Schools and colleges are on hand to offer additional advice and guidance, and I want to thank all those staff for the support they are providing to young people in the city as they consider their next steps and destinations.

“Our ambition to be a child friendly city means working to ensure that all of our children and young people are given the best possible chance of getting the qualifications and skills they need to succeed in the years ahead. Additional support, advice and guidance is available to those young people still considering their future options having received their results today from the Start in Leeds website. 

“I would like to wish all our young people the very best as they choose and take their next steps.”

For any young people still considering their future options after receiving their results, please check out the ‘Next steps after school or college’ section of the Start in Leeds website https://guest.startprofile.com/article/155

ENDS