Disadvantaged students are likely to bear the brunt of "grade deflation" when this year's A-level and GCSE results are published, according to experts, who said the government's decision to impose pre-pandemic grading in England was premature.
This week hundreds of thousands of sixth-formers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive the results of their A-levels, BTecs and other exams. But a survey of students by the Social Mobility Foundation (SMF) found those from disadvantaged or low-income backgrounds in England were less likely to have received help to restore learning lost during the Covid pandemic.
As a result, the gap in top grades received by disadvantaged students compared with their better-off peers is expected to widen for the second year in a row, after examination boards were ordered to return to grading last seen in 2019.
"We all feel the desire to say that the impact of Covid needs to be over. But all the evidence shows that it is premature to say that its impact has ended on this generation of young people," said Sarah Atkinson, the SMF's chief executive. "Many young people will be celebrating on Thursday and that's how it should be. But we are afraid that too many young people on low incomes will not get the outcome they deserve.
"These are young people who have done everything that was asked of them. They've worked hard, shown resilience and determination, and they should get the opportunities that they deserve at this stage. There is a risk that they are bearing the burden of this policy.
"We're expecting the attainment gap based on income to grow, and we also saw last year that the regional gaps the north-east compared with London, for example - were wider in terms of top grades. And we are worried that is going to happen again this year."
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 14, 2023-Ausgabe von The Guardian.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 14, 2023-Ausgabe von The Guardian.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Post Office boss asked about his pay and bonuses 'more than expected', says board member
The chair of the Post Office's remuneration committee has said she was surprised at how frequently the company's boss, Nick Read, asked about his pay and bonuses, given the pressure it was under due to the ongoing fallout from the Horizon IT scandal.
Murdoch property group raises offer for Rightmove to £6.2bn as deadline looms
Britain's booming wine-growing industry has been compared to \"California in the 70s\", with annual production more than doubling to 12m bottles a year, according to a report.
Viral load Social media putting rare species in danger
With its striking plumage, impressive size and rowdy displays, a capercaillie is many birders' dream. Only about 530 of the woodland grouse survive in the wild, most in Scotland's Cairngorms national park.
Toll of 20 dead in storm-hit south-eastern US could rise as flooding hampers rescues
Hurricane Helene has reportedly killed at least 20 people and left 4m consumers without power across the south-eastern United States after crashing ashore in north-western Florida late on Thursday as a potent category 4 hurricane, according to officials.
Closing borders Electoral pressures put EU's freedom of movement under threat
In 2015, when more than 1.3 million people headed to Europe, mostly fleeing a brutal war in Syria, the response of Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, was to say: \"Wir schaffen das\" (\"We can manage this\"), and open the country's borders.
Fight does not end here, say critics, as Wimbledon wins the go-ahead to expand
Wimbledon's controversial plans to build 39 new tennis courts have been given the green light after a deputy mayor of London ruled that the \"very significant benefits\" of the scheme outweighed any potential harm to the environment.
Sue Gray Advisers to the PM are often targets of sniping but is it sustainable?
For someone who was not even in Liverpool for the Labour party conference, Sue Gray was the subject of a remarkable amount of conversation.
Revealed Alli gave PM a further £16,000 gift of clothing
Keir Starmer was given a further £16,000 worth of clothes by the Labour peer Waheed Alli, which was declared as money for his private office, the Guardian can reveal.
Tributes paid to 'one of a kind' in seven decades on stage and screen
Maggie Smith, the prolific, awardwinning actor described by peers as being \"one of a kind\" and possessed of a \"sharp eye, sharp wit and formidable talent\", has died aged 89.
Diplomacy Netanyahu insists Israel is winning on 'seven fronts'
Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, shrugged off global appeals for a ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza yesterday, using a defiant speech at the UN general assembly to denounce the world body as an \"antisemitic swamp\" and insist Israel is \"winning\" its multi-front wars.