The Disaster of A Result

The A Level results came out last week after this year's exams were cancelled due to Covid-19. The grades were given by an algorithm looking at past performances of the students and their exam centres.

For many, grades have been ridiculously downgraded from their AS results or predicted grades. In England itself, 40 percent of the teachers' assessments were downgraded compared to the 2.2 percent upgraded results. The results have invalidated the past few years of hard work on the students' part, as these grades have severe consequences on their futures. They're now dealing with impacts of mistakes they didn't make.

While grades dropping from A*/A to B/C has been a common sight, what left several baffled is a drastic drop to D/E.

Wasif Ahmed*, from S.F.X. Greenherald International School says, "I got an E in A Level Mathematics from a 91 percent in AS which would only happen if I got below 8 (out of 100) in my A2 exams!"

A Levels are defining points for students applying home and abroad. Ahnaf Mashrur, from Scholastica, mentions how he can't apply to most domestic universities anymore, "Given how badly I got downgraded—an A to E in Economics, B to D in Business Studies—I'm incapable of applying to public universities like IBA, DU and BUP, where I'd need at least 2 Cs to even sit for the admission exams. I can't really try for private universities either." Even those who qualify with Bs and Cs will have lower marks because of their lower overall GPA.

Students who got conditional offers or scholarships face the prospect of losing them. Students who opted for gap years can't apply according to their plans. Most universities won't accept Ds/Es for admission.

Purba Das*, from DPS STS School Dhaka, planned on applying to the UK with her AS results, but her downgraded grades barely meet the entry requirements. "I would require an A in Mathematics for most Russell Group universities, which I was confident about getting as my mocks' average was an A grade. But because I ended up getting a B, I'm now having to look into other courses and universities."

For most students I talked to, their primary choice is going for a re-evaluation. Wasif has the SAT and IELTS lined up, and Ahnaf can't afford to lose months in his academic career. But the process is confusing with loopholes, which feels like the system has been designed to lead the students to retakes in the November session. Individuals can't appeal for their grades to be changed as the entire group would then be reviewed, and Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) won't change the rank orders used. Most schools are overwhelmed with the students' complaints, and several teachers have confirmed that students' grades didn't match their assessments. While some authorities are reassuring their students, others have been evasive.

With the lack of proper explanation of the evaluation system by CAIE, looming university applications, and the ongoing pandemic, students face uncertainty from all directions. Retakes call for more money from middle class families who already struggled to pay the registration fees, and there's risk in taking exams in the current situation. On the other hand, there's no guarantee appeals will work.

*Names have been changed for privacy