Petroc College to lodge a Centre Level Appeal with Ofqual
Press Release Update: 18/08/2020
On Monday 17 August 2020, Petroc was ready and committed to lodge a Centre Level Appeal against all 2020 A-level results. We felt it was the right thing to do in light of the significant levels of downgrading across all subject areas, that simply could not be correct. However, at 4pm, the Government announced a U-turn and now Centre Assessed Grades will be accepted. We feel this is the right and fair thing to do and are pleased that our students can now focus on the next stage of their education in college or university.
Original Press Release: 17/08/2020
Petroc College of Further and Higher Education have confirmed today that it is lodging a Centre Level Appeal with Ofqual in relation to last week’s A-level results which has seen some of the colleges top students’ results being unfairly downgraded. This downgrade, the result of a faulty algorithm by Exam Boards, has had a significant impact on students, many of whom would not meet their university entry requirements if these results were allowed to stand.
Petroc students achieve consistently strong A-level results, with the proportion of learners last year getting two As and a B being the fourth highest of any FE college in the country. This year the algorithm has slashed the highest grades of A* to A by over 8% compared to 2019. This cannot be correct. The college is appealing to Ofqual to do the right thing and correct this error, restoring results to either reinstate the grade profile last year or to use the Centre Assessment Grades created this year by tutors, whichever is the highest.
Petroc wants to reassure their students that Universities must hold places until Monday 7 September if they are subject to an appeal and are encouraging all students who have been told they may not be able to take up their place to email the university admissions team to tell them of the Appeal.
In the meantime students should consider continuing to try and secure a place at university by going through the clearing process and be reassured that if their grades are revised upwards and they are therefore eligible for their first offer that there are reassurances in place to ensure that they will get to the university of their choice.
Petroc furthermore want to reassure their students and their families that the regrading of results, that their results cannot and will not go down. This is an assurance that has already been given by Ofqual.
Whilst all of this is going on for A-level students, GCSE results day is looming for hundreds and thousands of 16 year olds across the county. Petroc has committed that students will be able to come to the College based on their Centre Assessment Grades (CAG), regardless of what their ‘Calculated Grades’ from the Exam Boards, are on Thursday.
The college is working closely with all the secondary schools in their area to make sure that the transition to the college is as stress free as possible for hardworking students affected by the Exam Boards’ use of the same algorithm to determine GCSE grades. Petroc wants to reassure the whole community that they are doing everything it can do to manage as seamless a process to college for these students as possible.
