Exam regulation should not be a politicised function

The Party of Wales has said that concerns raised by the WJEC today make the case for the separation of exam regulation from the powers of the Welsh Government. The WJEC has today voiced its concerns that the situation which led to the re-grading of over two thousand English language GCSE papers in Wales last summer could arise again this year.

The Party of Wales Shadow Education Minister Simon Thomas called on the Welsh Government to publish the guidance on the new comparators which are to be used.

The Party of Wales Shadow Education Minister Simon Thomas said:

“What was allowed by happen last year by both the Welsh and UK Governments was a great mistake, and the WJEC is right to be worried that the same will happen again this year. It was at this stage in the exam cycle last year that the Welsh Government took the decision to use the same predictors as England, which led to the wrong grading of English languages exam papers sat by Welsh students. We have not had any confirmation that a different decision has been taken this year.

“The Welsh Government has suggested that the comparators for setting the grades of Welsh students will change, but has failed to produce an explanation of these changes. Welsh students have sat some GCSE modules without a full understanding of how they will be graded and this is unacceptable. Plaid Cymru has called for the functions of an exam regulator to be taken away from the Welsh Government and this proves why it should happen. Exam board regulation should not be a politicised function, and we want to see an independent exam regulator established to ensure its independence.

“What we need, above all, is a regulatory system that we can trust in. It is the Welsh Government’s job to ensure the standards of our education system, and the government now needs to reassure the exam boards and Welsh students that last year’s fiasco will not be repeated.”