Algorithm downgrades nearly 40% of English exam results, hitting poorer students hardest

An algorithm used to determine school-leaving grades in England has downgraded 39% of the results predicted by teachers — with disadvantaged students suffering the biggest drop. Exam regulator Ofqual adopted the system when exams across the country were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, teachers were instructed to submit their predicted grades for each student. The algorithm then moderated their assessments by comparing them to their school‘s historic performance and each pupil’s past results. In total, the algorithm downgraded about 280,000 A-level results, with poorer students more likely to receive lower grades. Ofqual’s figures revealed pupils at fee-paying schools received double the improvement in…

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