A-level results joy for Coventry & Warks schools
| Published date | 12 August 2021 |
| Publication title | Coventry Telegraph |
This year, because of the coronavirus pandemic, A-level results were decided on teacher assessments of each pupil.
Teachers in England have been required to consider a range of evidence, including mock exams, coursework, and in-class assessments using questions by exam boards, to make decisions on pupils' grades.
Headteachers had to submit a personal declaration that they believed grades to be accurate.
Some schools in Coventry and Warwickshire recorded historic A-level results, while others praised staff and students for doing well in the midst of a turbulent year.
Coventry University provost Ian Dunn said that the way that last year's A-level results were handled was "an absolute shambles" and that the teacher-assessment method this year was "incredibly robust."
Education minister Gavin Williamson also said that the Government expected universities to return to face-to-face teaching as soon as possible.
It was a momentous day for young people across Coventry and Warwickshire - so how did local schools fare?
We visited and spoke to schools in the local area for the latest reaction.
Coventry City Council praised the hard work of staff and students across Coventry as A-level and vocational qualification results showed an improvement on last year.
In Coventry: 99.5% of entries were graded A* - E, a 0.3pp (percentage point) improvement on last year's figure of 99.2% with Coventry now matching national at 99.5%.
Nationally there was 0.3pp decrease. 13 schools improved their A* grades with the citywide figure improving from 10.2% to 13.4% 35.4% of entries were graded A*-A showing a significant rise of 6.5pp from 28.9% in 2020.
This was faster than the national rate of increase at 6.3pp.
Entries graded A*-B improved by 5.4pp to 62.3% compared to 56.9% last year, again faster than the national rate at 4.2pp.
Students taking vocational qualifications, equivalent to A-levels, achieved a 100% pass rate, the same as in 2020.
In addition, over 55% of students achieved Distinction*/Distinction grades in these qualifications, compared to 45% in 2020.
Cllr Dr Kindy Sandhu, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: "I want to congratulate every single student who has taken their A-levels and vocational qualifications this year. This group of young people have faced Covid-restrictions for the majority of...
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