Exam results need explaining, claims study

August 18 2009

The details of how GCSE and A level grades are calculated need to be explained to parents.

In a study supported by the Economic and Social Research Council, officials recommended parents be told that grades are sometimes affected by factors beyond the school's control, reports the Telegraph.

Researchers involved in the work said a disclaimer should go out with league tables to better explain what the tables show.

The study advised that conventional examination data be published with a "health warning" that explained the figures only measure part of a school's performance.

It also proposed that exam results come with their own disclaimer, warning parents that there could be marking errors.

According to the research, a better system would accept that there "is a need to ensure that the public understands what these data can tell them, and what they cannot", the paper reported.

The pass rate at A level will reach a ceiling as there will always be some people who do not finish, Professor Alan Smithers, of the centre for education and employment research at the University of Buckingham, told the Independent.

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