P-05-958 Recent Decisions Regarding AS Grades 2020
P-05-958 Recent Decisions Regarding AS Grades 2020
P-05-958 Recent
Decisions Regarding AS Grades 2020
This
petition was submitted by Sian Williams having collected a total of 219 signatures.
Text of Petition
A decision was recently
made by Education Minister Kirsty Williams regarding AS Level qualifications
2020. The statement released says:
In summer 2021, current AS
learners will have two options for their A level award. They will choose
whether to:
- only sit the A2 units,
with the A level grade based on their performance in the A2 units;
- or sit both the AS and
A2 units. They will be awarded the best grade from either route.
However, this fails to
take into consideration students that have worked extremely hard to achieve
good predicted grades throughout the entirety of Year 12, and who were
therefore prepared for upcoming exams, the first of which were due to begin in
only four weeks from when this decision was made.
Year 12 would ordinarily
contribute to 40% of the overall A Level grade.
If a student chooses to
sit only A2 Units, as per the first option above, students will have worked
tirelessly during Year 12 for 0% of their A Level grade, which has never
previously been the case. This increases the pressure enormously for students
continuing into Year 13 and contradicts the Minister’s hope of a “fair system”
that aids a student’s “wellbeing”. Further, this extra pressure will not be
accounted for in the future when the 2021 cohort of students compete for jobs
with students credited by the much fairer system that has previously always
been in place.
The second route of taking
both AS and A2 units in 2021 not only means that Year 12 again contributes
nothing to the A Level grade overall, but does not decrease the already immense
pressures of Year 13 either. Instead, it simply places the entirety of the
pressure from both years and combines them for exams in the Summer 2021 exam
series.
This is not fair, and we
shouldn’t be confused by the statements released into believing it is.
Additional Information
Education is a vital
aspect of a student’s life, especially those who have decided to continue with
A Levels, all of which require great determination and hard work, in the hope
of achieving grades needed for future plans.
This time is stressful
enough for students.
The last thing we need is
a rushed decision that is ultimately detrimental to our future plans.
Both pathways offered will
be disadvantageous for students.
We ask for this decision
to be adjusted to take every student into account.
Senedd Constituency and
Region
- Clwyd South
- North Wales
Status
This
petition was considered completed by the Petitions
Committee at its meeting on 17.07.20.
In
light of the petitioner’s acceptance of the additional explanation provided by
the Minister for Education and the fact that grades for the 2019/20 academic
year are unlikely to be changed at this stage, the Committee agreed to close
the petition and thank the petitioner as there is little further the Committee
could achieve.
Full
details of the consideration of this petitions by the committee and related
documents can be seen on the Meetings tab above.
It
was first considered by the Petitions Committee on 12.05.20.
Further
information
- The Petitions Committee homepage
- View all open petitions
- View all petitions the committee is currently considering
- How the
petitions system works
Business type: Petition
Reason considered: Senedd Business;
Status: Complete
First published: 30/04/2020