Parents and school administrators have described the devastating consequences of what they say are the “unfair” WJEC exams this summer in Wales. One mother said that her usually confident 18-year-old son with high achievements returned from his level in mathematics A, cried and told her: “My life is ruined. I will not go to university. “
A school principal in Cardiff said students were taking exams in tears. She said her school wrote to complain to the WJEC examination board about Level A issues and practical A-level chemistry exercises with content she said should not have been there.
One mother said her 16-year-old daughter’s confidence was “on the floor” after an AS math report “has questions that are unlike anything they’ve seen before”, while another said her teenager was sitting there “without knowing what to do” when the text questions asked were omitted from the English-language paper and literature.
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The National Association of Directors Cymru said leaders are doing their best to “restore confidence” in the system after numerous complaints, while Education Minister Jeremy Miles went on Twitter to reassure candidates, saying: “I want to reassure exam students. that you will be treated fairly ”
Complaints continue as WJEC was forced to apologize on June 8 after being asked textual questions from Level A in English Language and Literature A on June 7. Officials insisted the candidates would not be at a disadvantage, but said they would wait until the day of the results in August to determine what went wrong.
Education Minister Jeremy Miles (Image: Western Mail and Echo)
Candidates and teachers also claim that both the A-level math exam and the AS exam include content that they have been told will not exist and that the questions are much more difficult than documents before Covid – there are also complaints about chemistry and level A music.
One mother said that “her daughter’s world is falling apart” because the math work for AS Unit 1 was so unexpectedly difficult: “My daughter is a diligent and hard-working student. Her teachers expected her to do well.
“The newspaper did not look like anything they had seen before, and my daughter had made previous documents dating back to the early 2000s. She was crying in my arms when she came home and now her confidence is on the floor.
“I do not understand what they are doing with this group of children. They had not taken external exams before and did not have equal access to face-to-face training. We continue with the effects of the Covid pandemic, but this group seems to have been ignored – math and science exams have been ridiculously difficult.
Another parent from Abergavenny insisted that content teachers and candidates were told they would not take the A-level math exam. below the grades assessed by teachers and has been heavily reviewed.
“I can’t question his focus or how much work he’s done. He was fully prepared for level A, but when he came in to sit in the newspaper, the wind tore him off the sails because the questions were so incredibly difficult and content that they didn’t expect to be there.
“He believes that his chances for a university have been ruined and his confidence has been shattered. It was awful to see how upset he was. “
She said her son’s education was interrupted throughout the year due to the pandemic, but he worked hard at home.
“The lessons were canceled shortly and they had to study remotely. I feel angry because it’s so unfair.
“My son is a healthy and confident 18-year-old, but he came home from the A-level math exam broken and said, ‘I’m not going to university. My life is ruined. He was in tears, discouraged and in shock. “
One mother, who is a school principal and holds a senior position in higher education, said her school complains about the practical level of chemistry A.
“Eleven of the 30 assessments were for content taken out of the curriculum, or very, very borderline. It was really disappointing and it really disappointed people, “she said.
“Level A math paper was the hardest thing people have ever seen. Includes content that is not intended to be there. My daughter was really worried and many of her friends dropped out of exams, some were crying.
“I am the headmaster of the school and the school has written to complain to the WJEC. “It simply came to my notice then. Two years later, WJEC was confused for two years. They messed with the algorithm in 2020 and then continued to replace the beams.
“They haven’t taken exams in two years and have had a change of leadership, but I wonder if they effectively guarantee the quality of the documents. If ever there was a year in which questions were 100% safe in accordance with the curriculum, it was this year.
“Giving them exams that are harder than before Covid is really unfair. Mental health and well-being have increased and I think that with regard to the Law on Future Generations, this year’s exams do not take into account the long-term sustainability and resilience of the workforce. This group will feel that the system is set against them.
“It doesn’t matter if the limits of the assessments are reduced. This undermined the confidence of this group, which is taking exams for the first time. “
In a report on level A math on June 7, a parent also said: “My daughter took the level A math exam on Tuesday in tears. One couple actually cried while feeling completely useless. Vague questions, many said that this is paper unlike all previous documents, as they have reviewed all. Teachers in many schools agree.
“I checked) WJEC explicitly advised that work from the 12th year would not be included – then in fact most of the questions were based on the theme from the 12th year.”
None of the parents or administrators wanted to be identified for fear of making things worse for their children or bringing a bad reputation to their schools with such strong feelings.
Responding to an apology for missing pages in an English document and what she described as “continuing confusion with mathematics”, NAHT Cymru Director Laura Doel said: “This continues to be a very challenging series of exams for our students, many of whom have never no exams have been taken before. Although we expected some interruption, the lack of four pages of English exam paper is unforgivable.
“Our members report continuing confusion over mathematical documents, citing a lack of specificity in adaptations to exam specifications published by the WJEC. The problems with this subject are compounded by the fact that there is a relatively new format for the math exam, with very few examples of past sharing documents as part of the review process.
“We will continue to highlight all the issues raised before the WJEC, and we take some reassurance that the WJEC will take these concerns into account when setting the limits of the degree. However, this will not correct the damaged self-esteem of students who may have struggled to perform best in exams as a result of some confusion.
“Our leaders and teachers work tirelessly to support students, diligently tell them about any concerns they have, talk to parents and do everything possible to restore their confidence in our exam system and the exams that remain. “
Education Minister Jeremy Miles tweeted to reassure the candidates, saying: “I want to assure exam students that you will be treated fairly.
“WJEC sets limits on grades when exams are marked to take into account an exam that is more demanding than another year.”
WJEC declined to comment on new complaints, but had previously insisted that this year’s exams were fair. After the mistake with the English language and literature exam, the board apologized and said it was a “rare phenomenon” that is taken very seriously.
“All exam answers will be carefully considered during the assessment and evaluation process to ensure that all students receive a fair result in the qualification,” a spokesman said.
In mathematics, WJEC added: “We can confirm that all questions in the third level A mathematics exam are from the content of the subject in the specification and do not rely on knowledge and understanding of topics identified as removed from the 2022 assessment.”
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