We want the Department for Education to work with Ofqual to ensure that students in England are graded after the 2023 A-Level exams with the same allowances provided to students in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland in order to compensate for the disruption caused by Covid-19.

A-Level students who sat their exams in 2023 had gaps in learning for their chosen subjects as face-to-face classes were disrupted due to the lockdowns during their GCSE years. Many students also missed online classes due to Covid. Latest government data reveals how approximately a third of schools in England have not yet used catch-up funding that is aimed at helping pupils recover lost learning. This indicates that the attempt to bridge the gaps in learning have not yet reached everyone.

Ofqual confirmed that the 2023 grading approach includes allowances for the impact of disruption, so that a student who would have achieved a particular grade pre-pandemic is just as likely to in 2023. This implies that the number of students achieving various grades in England would be similar to 2019. However, this is different from the allowances provided to students in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Pupils who sat their A-level exams in England in 2023 face tougher grading than their peers in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

In Wales, grades will continue to be awarded more generously than before the pandemic, midway between the 2019 and 2022 results. The Scottish Qualification Authority said that its grading would be sensitive due to the continuing impact of the pandemic. Scotland's exams body has said that changes to the way pupils were assessed during the pandemic will continue this year. Northern Ireland’s exam board has confirmed that the impact of Covid-19 will be taken into account in this year’s grading, expecting to be back to pre-pandemic standards only by Summer 2024.

This disparity across the UK between students in England and the rest of the UK is unfair. This would result in students in England missing their 2023 university offers at a higher rate when compared to students in the other devolved nations. It is important to note that, as home students, all are competing for the same university places in the UK.

This petition appeals to remove this unfairness and disparity for the students of England by giving them the same grading allowances in 2023 as students in the other devolved nations. This entails more generous grade boundaries, where grades should be awarded midway between the 2019 and 2022 results. Ultimately, this ensures that all students in the UK impacted by the pandemic have an equal chance to access higher education.