Department for Education statement - summer 2021 exams and assessments

Today the Department for Education (DfE) has announced a series of extra measures to boost fairness and support students ahead of next summer's exams and assessments.

Building on the three-week delay to exams to free up extra teaching time announced in October, the new measures include:

• more generous grading than usual, in line with national outcomes from 2020, so students this year are not disadvantaged; 
• students receiving advance notice of some topic areas covered in GCSE, AS and A levels to focus revision;  
• exam aids —like formula sheets—provided in some exams giving students more confidence and reducing the amount of information they need to memorise; 
• additional exams to give students a second chance to sit a paper if the main exams or assessments are missed due to illness or self-isolation; and 
• a new expert group to look at differential learning and monitor the variation in the impact of the pandemic on students across the country. 

The full statement is available from the DfE website. The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), has also released a statement on behalf of all the main exam boards operating in England.

At Eduqas, we are committed to working closely with DfE, Ofqual and other awarding bodies to apply a consistent approach to exams and assessments in summer 2021. Our teams are also on hand to provide schools and colleges with specialist support and guidance as they prepare for the months ahead.

We appreciate your continued patience during this time and will keep you updated as soon as information becomes available to us. Please check our website, subscribe to our mailing list, and follow us on social media for all the latest news, information, and support.