Over the past few years, the publication in Britain of A-level and GCSE examination results has become an annual sport, with government supporters proclaiming that their wonderful policies have been responsible for yet another rise in educational standards. For some time now, British society has become accustomed to a steady increase in the number of students getting A and A* grades, and to the idea that, at least on paper, Britain is going through a protracted period of educational miracles.
Those who expressed scepticism about this alleged educational miracle – particularly during the New Labour era – were typically denounced as mean-spirited, reactionary buffoons, callously disregarding the hard work of students and of exceptionally able teachers. As a result, even those experts who were aware that the school-exams system had lost its way, and had come to be dominated by the goal of constant grade-inflation, refrained from stating their views too explicitly lest they be accused of cultural malevolence.
Now, all of a sudden, it seems that grade inflation has come to a halt, temporarily at least. According to the latest exam results, the number of GCSE candidates achieving five A* to C grade passes dropped by 0.4 percentage points, to 69.4 per cent. This is the first time the figure has fallen since the GCSE exam was first sat in 1988. The proportion of candidates obtaining A* or A grade passes also fell, from 23.2 per cent to 22.4 per cent. Not surprisingly, the educational establishment has responded angrily to this development, to what appears to be a manipulation of grade results downwards.
Chris Edwards, assistant head of Bishop David Brown School in Surrey, said in an open letter to the secretary of state for education, Michael Gove: ‘[My pupils] can’t understand why someone would want to play around with their futures in such a cruel way.’ ‘You have not simply moved the goalposts’, Edwards continued. ‘You have demolished them, sold off the playing fields and left the dreams of these youngsters in tatters.’ It is far from clear why the dreams of children should be destroyed by a more realistic reflection of their achievements. Universities and employers are quite capable of doing the maths – they will understand that an A received in August 2012 is likely to be worth a little more than an A handed out in August 2011.
Echoing Edwards, Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, told Gove that ‘it is morally wrong to manipulate exam grades in this way – you are playing with young people’s futures’. Lightman is probably right to say that exam grades were manipulated this year. However, since the GCSE exam was introduced, results have always been subject to political manipulation. Today’s critics of the manipulation of the exam system are highly selective about what kind of interventions they find objectionable.