Latest news with #examiners
BBC News
01-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
GCSE grades 2025: The 9-1 system boundaries explained
GCSE students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive their results on Thursday 21 England, GCSEs are graded using a numerical system from 9 to 1. They were previously used an A-to-U letter are graded differently in Wales and Northern Ireland. How do the 9-1 GCSE grades work? The 9-1 grading scheme was brought in alongside an overhaul of the curriculum in England in rollout began in 2017 with three subjects - English language, English literature and maths - being the first to be graded in numbers. By 2020, all subjects were using the new grading highest grade is 9, while 1 is the lowest, and U means "ungraded". The number scale is not directly equivalent to the old letter one. However, the two scales do meet in certain places:the bottom of grade 7 is aligned with the bottom of grade Athe bottom of grade 4 is aligned with the bottom of grade Cthe bottom of grade 1 is aligned with the bottom of grade Gthree number grades - 9, 8 and 7 - correspond to the two previous top grades of A* and A How are grade boundaries decided? Grade boundaries dictate what the lowest mark is you can get to achieve a are decided by examiners each year. Exam boards publish grade boundaries on results day. What grade do pupils need to pass their GCSEs? Pupils need a 4 for a "standard pass" and 5 for a "strong pass".While grades 1-3 technically count as a pass, many sixth forms insist on a minimum number of 5s or 6s as a condition of entry for further government's school league tables are based on the percentage of pupils who achieve a 5 or above in English and maths you get a grade 3 or below in maths or English language, you will have to resit next year. Why were GCSE grades changed in England? The numerical grading scheme was introduced as part of a 2014 curriculum overhaul by then-Conservative Education Secretary, Michael put less emphasis on GCSE coursework than before, with grades in almost all subjects decided in final qualifications were designed to be more challenging, with exams taken after two years of study. Previously pupils covered the syllabus through a series of modules with regular assessments throughout the the time of the changes, the government argued that the new scale "recognises more clearly the achievements of high-attaining students, as the additional grades allow for greater differentiation".It also said that the move from letters to numbers would make it clear - for example to an employer - "whether a student has taken a new, more challenging GCSE, or an old reformed GCSE". How are GCSEs graded in Northern Ireland? Grades have changed in Northern Ireland summer 2019, the CCEA introduced a new nine-category grade scale - A* to G, including a C*.Students may also get results with grades 9-1 if they take exams set by English boards. How are GCSEs graded in Wales? The Welsh government introduced new and revised GCSE courses in September most significant changes were in English language, Welsh language and retained the letter-based grading structure A*- G.
BBC News
26-06-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
New driving test centre set to open in Reading
A new driving test centre is due to open in Reading to replace one that closed earlier this new centre at Pacific House, in Whitley, will have "more examiners and offer more tests" than the old one when it closed, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) previous centre on Elgar Road closed in March when the landlord announced plans to redevelop the site for Gaines, the DVSA's operational delivery manager, said it wanted to "bring waiting times down and provide a permanent driving test centre for the town". It will have five examiners, conducting seven tests per day, meaning 35 tests can be taken on a typical Gaines said: "Our new site in Reading will be home to extra driving examiners who will provide more tests than the old Elgar Road site used to."It's a modern space, which will benefit instructors, examiners and learners."We'd like to thank local instructors and learners for their patience while we worked to open this new centre."Examiners had been moved to a temporary driving test site at the Holiday Inn campaign manager, Lorna Lee said: " Unfortunately, long waiting times for driving tests aren't just a local issue, they are prevalent across the country which doesn't really help anybody."Sadly, this is just a hangover still from Covid where tests were stop start and we've just never had enough extra tests added to the system in order to elevate the pressure.""Capacity is the main issue, so anything that can improve capacity would be welcomed and that will start to make a difference to people." You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
The Independent
17-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
The long wait UK learner drivers face to book exams
The UK driving test backlog has increased to over 630,000, according to recent figures from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). Despite the rising demand, the number of tests conducted between January and May decreased by 14 per cent compared to the same period last year. The DVSA had temporarily deployed eligible staff from other roles to act as examiners between October 2023 and March 2024, resulting in a higher number of tests taken during that period. The pass rate in May reached 50.2 per cent, the highest monthly figure since August 2021, suggesting learners are waiting until they are more prepared before taking the test. The government is consulting on changes to the driving test booking system to prevent bots from reselling slots at inflated prices, and is implementing measures to increase test availability and reduce waiting times, aiming for an average of seven weeks by summer 2026.
Irish Times
09-06-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Carl O'Brien: How will ‘difficult' exams be graded over the coming weeks?
It's been another milestone day for Leaving Certs: taking on two of biggest exams, maths paper two and Irish paper one. Whether students came out smiling or just relieved to be finished, they can be proud of how far they have come. Students aren't just surviving these exams, they're growing through them. The reaction to maths, in particular, has been mixed and we've received queries from some parents whose children are worried about passing the paper or want to know how they are likely to be graded. We've a short explainer below which should demystify the process - and it should hopefully give a little boost to worried students. Who marks the exams? READ MORE The exams are marked by a team of more than 4,000 examiners, typically experienced teachers, who work under the overall direction of a chief examiner for each subject. Examiners normally mark scripts from a number of schools and do not know either the region or the schools from which the papers they mark are drawn. How does the marking process work? The marking process for each subject and level is typically overseen by a team consisting of the chief examiner, a chief advising examiner and a number of advising examiners, who monitor and advise the examiners. The chief examiner and the advisory team discuss, test and adjust a draft marking scheme. This takes place at a 'pre conference' that normally lasts two days and takes place before the main marking conference for the full examining team. All examiners attend this online training conference before marking. They then begin marking by selecting a random sample of scripts and applying the draft marking scheme to this sample. Feedback from the examiners, along with data from the marking of this random sample, is analysed by the chief examiner and senior advisory team. A minimum of 5 per cent of scripts marked by each examiner is monitored during the course of the marking. How are they graded? The marking scheme is adjusted to help achieve a 'bell curve' which aims to ensure a similar proportion of students from year to year achieve the same proportion of H1s, H2s and H3s, etc, across individual subjects. It might sound unfair, but it is aimed at ensuring standards are maintained each year. If it has been a particularly hard exam where many struggled, the marking scheme may be adjusted to be more generous to the questions where students generally performed better; equally, if it has been a relatively easy exam, the marking scheme will be adjusted to be less generous to the questions where students performed well. How will they be graded this year? Grades have been artificially kept at a high level – 7 per cent higher, on average, than pre-Covid results – through what authorities call a 'postmarking adjustment' since 2021. Very simply, exam papers are marked as normal and then, when the process is complete, a weighting of marks s added across all results to ensure overall grades match the tally from previous years, on aggregate. The plan this year is that a 'postmarking adjustment' to students' grades will reduce from 7 per cent to 5.5 per cent. In other words, students' grades will still be inflated – just at a lower level, on aggregate, compared with the bumper grades achieved over recent years. The good news, then, is that students' results will get nudged upwards after they have been marked. Where it might be unfair is in the competition for college places against students from recent years on bumper grades – but we'll explore that later in the week.
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
New driving test centre approved in Reading after previous closure
A council has approved plans for a new driving test centre, more than a month after one closed down in Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) who conduct the tests, applied to convert an office at Pacific House in Imperial Way, Whitley, into a driving test centre in previous driving test centre in Elgar Road South, Reading closed last month and plans for 16 flats were approved by the government's planning inspectorate last year.A letter from the DVSA states: "The facility at this site is required by DVSA to meet the local need for car driving tests and the government's objective to reduce driving test waiting times." The plan shows the DVSA occupying Suite A of the building, which is on the ground office will be staffed by five examiners and one manager. Each examiner can conduct up to seven tests per day, meaning 35 tests can be taken on a typical would also be the capacity to have a total of 12 examiners working from the site in the site provides 10 parking spaces, with five additional spaces being leased by the DVSA at the Holiday Inn, a six-minute walk from Pacific DVSA has argued it needs to address a "backlog" of tests after it predicted around a million tests had been missed due to the coronavirus letter states: "The backlog of driving tests, coupled with increased demand, has subsequently meant that there has been a continued post-pandemic surge in people seeking to complete their driving tests."There are insufficient test slots to meet the demand."It added: "Learners are often left unable to find an available test for months in advance and are resorting to booking tests in areas of the UK miles away from their home."The DVSA is therefore actively and urgently working to invest in new test centres to address the backlog." You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
