In this blog, I want to provide some context and challenge to two erroneous statements that are made about exam grades:
- That ‘one in four exam grades is wrong’
- That grades are only reliable to ‘within one grade either way’
For teenagers, exam results days mark major milestones. For most GCSE, A level and BTEC students, the grades they get awarded this summer represent a passport which will either provide open visas to all sorts of opportunities or, in some cases, will restrict their movement up the ladder of opportunity. For admissions professionals in universities, A level results day is critical in determining the number and ‘quality’ of students admitted and the impact this has on a university’s finances and league table rankings. In short, grades are important. It is therefore vital that grades are reliable and trusted by all those who use them – students, universities and colleges, and employers.
The claim that one in four grades is wrong is derived from a 2018 Ofqual research report on Marking Consistency Metrics. This report uses two descriptors for marks awarded – ‘definitive’ marks and ‘legitimate’ marks. A ‘definitive mark’ is described by Ofqual as ‘the terminology ordinarily used in exam boards for the mark given by the senior examiners at item level’. Such marks are seeded into the mass marking of exam questions to ensure that no markers are routinely marking too leniently or too harshly. In other words, the ‘definitive mark’ is a proxy ‘correct’ mark used for quality assurance processes only.
