The government has sought to allay pupils’ fears over GCSE and A-level results, which are expected to be lower in England this summer after two years of record increases, reassuring them that universities will “adjust accordingly”.
The schools minister Will Quince said it was important to “move back to a position where qualifications maintain their value” and reassured students that grades will still be higher than in 2019, before the pandemic.
Quince also criticised what he described as union “scaremongering” after staff at the country’s largest exam board, AQA, announced a second strike over a pay dispute, from 12 to 15 August, triggering concerns that results will be disrupted.
