As a result, an alternative method had to be designed and implemented at short notice to determine the qualification grades to be awarded to students for that year.
A similar controversy erupted in Scotland, after the Scottish Qualifications Authority marked down as many as 75,000 predicted grades to "maintain credibility", and later agreed to upgrade the results and issue new exam certificates.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, students sit General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) and A-Level exams, typically at ages 16 and 18 respectively.
On 18 March 2020, the government decided to cancel all examinations in England due to the COVID-19 pandemic, although the regulator, Ofqual, had advised that holding exams in a socially distanced manner was the best option.
[5][6] Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson stated that his "priority now is to ensure no young person faces a barrier when it comes to moving on to the next stage of their lives – whether that's further or higher education, an apprenticeship or a job" and that he had "asked exam boards to work closely with the teachers who know their pupils best to ensure their hard work and dedication is rewarded and fairly recognised.
[16][17] Students and teachers felt deprived and upset following the controversial algorithm calculation and protested against it, with many demanding Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his government take immediate action.
[18] In response to the public outcry, on 15 August, Gavin Williamson said that the grading system is here to stay, and there will be "no U-turn, no change".
[22][23] On 17 August, Ofqual and Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson agreed that grades would be reissued using unmoderated teacher predictions.
The examining board, Pearson Edexcel, withdrew them when the controversy broke, and has re-marked them upwards and is issuing a revised certificate, on a rolling basis, in the week beginning 24 August.
[32][33] Three days later, Permanent Secretary Jonathan Slater, the most senior civil servant at the Department for Education (DfE), stood down.
[41] Following criticism of the system from teachers and students, on 10 August, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon apologised for the controversy, saying the Scottish Government "did not get it right".