A-level results 2021: Portsmouth education boss says students need support this year

The controversial grading system has been scrapped this year in favour of teacher assessments.

Councillor Suzy Horton said this was an improvement but that students needed to be supported after what has been a 'difficult' period for them.

A-level results will be issued on Tuesday, much earlier than normal in order to give students more time to appeal their results if they need to.

Grades have been decided by teachers' estimates based on previous work and mock exams held over the last year.

The system was changed from last year following controversy over the use of an algorithm to determine results.

Speaking on Monday Simon Lebus from Ofqual, the body responsible for exams in England, said the new method was more fair.

He said teacher assessments took into account a greater period of students' performance rather than a 'snapshot' you get from exams.

Portsmouth City Council's cabinet member for education, councillor Suzy Horton, speaking on Monday afternoon, said it had been a difficult period for students and that, regardless of the grading method, some students will do better than expected, while others will do worse.

'There's no doubt that students have had a difficult time and most A-level students will have probably spent more of their learning from home than they have in school,' she said. 'But as it is every year, whatever the grading system, there will be winners and losers.

'While there is an indication that results have improved this year nationally, we don't yet know how the results have gone locally.

'It's really important to remember that A-levels are a stepping stone onto the next thing, we have to remember to make sure we support every student as they go through that process.'

Some schools and colleges in Portsmouth will be offering in-person collection of results to students although others are not.