OxfordAQA, the fastest-growing international exam board, has announced that it has taken the decision to cancel international GCSE and A-level exams (only available outside the UK) and replace them with Teacher Assessed Grades, stating it was the ‘fairest thing to do’.
The exam board is a partnership between Oxford University Press (a department of the University of Oxford) and AQA, by far the UK’s largest provider of GCSEs and A-levels. OxfordAQA’s qualifications are benchmarked to UK standards and designed specifically for students who live outside the UK and don’t speak English as their first language.
Speaking about the decision, of OxfordAQA’s Managing Director Sadie Visick said: “Since the announcement about exams in England being cancelled, we’ve been listening carefully to the views of teachers, parents and students around the world. Many schools have told us that a consistent approach would mean that no student in any school or country would be disadvantaged, and assessing all students in the same way is the only way to be confident grades are comparable and fair.”
OxfordAQA will now work with schools to develop a comprehensive support and training package
“Everyone, including us, would have preferred a return to a normal exam series in the summer. But it has become clear that this just won’t be possible, and the fairest thing we can do is ensure a level playing field for all students, and follow the same approach to assessment as in England. We know how crucial Fair Assessment is in preparing students for their futures and enabling them to progress to the next step.”
OxfordAQA will now work with schools to develop a comprehensive support and training package and will provide detailed guidance on the process for Teacher Assessed Grades following the outcome of the Ofqual consultation next month. This will include ensuring that teachers are fully supported to assess students accurately and fairly, following a rigorous and robust process, so that all students receive the grades they deserve this year.