Guide to severe grading in ML exams for teachers and senior leaders
Published 31st December 2023 by David Blow, ALL Fellow.
- Download this article as a word document here: Guide to severe grading in ML exams for teachers and senior leaders – final
- Download this article as a pdf here: Guide to severe grading in ML exams for teachers and senior leaders – final
What is severe grading?
It should be that pupils of the same prior attainment gain, on average, a similar GCSE grade in their EBacc subjects (English, maths, sciences, history / geography and a language). But there has been a discrepancy going right back to the days of O-level whereby languages (blue lines in graph to right) have had a lower average grading – by over half a grade for many students. (The same principle should hold at A-level, with prior attainment measured by GCSE score).
FFT Datalab have analysed the grades over a number of years, giving clear quantitative evidence, most recently in June 2023:
a) Comparison with English and Maths – they compared
(i) the grade achieved by each pupil in subjects to
(ii) their average score in English and maths.
The graph is striking, showing that on average their grades in German, French and Spanish were 0.7, 0.7 and 0.6 grades lower than their average grade in English and Maths, whereas all the other EBacc subjects were within 0.2 grades of their average grade in English and Maths.
Students, teachers and parents will often compare their grades in different subjects, and assume,
incorrectly that they are not performing as well in ML as in their other EBacc subjects – this will affect up to half of students taking ML GCSE.
Spanish grading in 2018 compared to geography and history
Recognising that virtually all students will study English, Maths and Science, how do grades in ML compare with those in the “Humanities” bucket, often studied as an option subject alongside ML. The pattern is familiar. Spanish entries are more likely to be graded 5-2 and less likely to be graded 9-6.
What are the key issues?
- This is NOT to do with standards, pedagogy, time allocation or any other factors. It is a historical anomaly dating back to O-level which has been “baked-in” by the remit to QCA and then Ofqual to maintain comparable grading over time, formalised over the last 10 years by “comparable outcomes” whereby the grade distribution is kept similar from one year to the next, varied only for changes in the prior ability profile of those taking a particular subject.
- Not only is this unfair, it can often to lead to false conclusions being drawn:
o Pupils think that they are not as good at ML, and parents could take a similar view, especially as the issue would have been there when they took their own GCSEs or O-levels
o ML teachers may be unfairly thought to be under-performing – in particular any comparison using Progress 8 EBacc buckets will be comparing ML against Hi/Ge and Sciences – definitely NOT a level playing field!
What needs to happen?
It is important that the issue be widely known and understood to avoid incorrect conclusions being drawn, and pupils and parents need to know that a lower grade in ML does not mean that they are not doing as well in that subject.
Standards and grading for the new GCSEs in French, German and Spanish, first being examined in June 2026, need to be set by Ofqual in a way that brings GCSE ML into line with the other EBacc subjects.
Full details are available at https://all-london.org.uk/severe-grading/ including a recent overview for ALL’s Languages Today: https://all-london.org.uk/languages-today-article-on-severe-grading-winter-2023/
Mwongozo wa Gradient katika Mtihani wa ML kwa Walimu na Viongozi wa Juu - David Blow, Mshiriki wa ALL "Kuchukua makala hii kama hati ya neno hapa: Mwongozo wa rating kali katika mitihani ML kwa walimu na viongozi wa juu ""Mwisho"" - Kupakua makala hii kama pdf hapa: Mwongozo wa rating kali katika mitihani ML kwa walimu na viongozi wa juu ""Mwisho"" Nini rating kali?" Wanafunzi wa shule ya msingi ya Uingereza wanapaswa kupata alama sawa ya GCSE katika masomo yao ya EBacc (Kiingereza, Hisabati, Sayansi, Historia, Jiografia na Lugha). Lakini kumekuwa na kutofautiana kwenda haki nyuma ya siku ya O-kiwango ambapo lugha (mstari bluu katika grafu ya kulia) wamekuwa chini ya wastani wa alama <unk> kwa zaidi ya nusu ya darasa kwa wanafunzi wengi. (Kanuni hiyo hiyo inapaswa kushikilia katika ngazi ya A, na mafanikio ya awali kupimwa kwa alama ya GCSE). FTT Datalab imechanganua alama za wanafunzi kwa miaka kadhaa, ikitoa ushahidi wa wazi wa kiasi, hivi karibuni mnamo Juni 2023: (a) Kulinganisha na Kiingereza na Hisabati (Walifananisha (i) alama iliyopatikana na kila mwanafunzi katika masomo na (ii) alama yao ya wastani katika Kiingereza na Hisabati). Kwa mfano, katika masomo ya Kiingereza, Kifaransa na Kihispania, wanafunzi walipata alama ya chini ya 0.7, 0.7 na 0.6 ya alama ya wastani ya Kiingereza na Hisabati, wakati katika masomo mengine yote ya EBacc, wanafunzi walipata alama ya chini ya 0.2 ya alama ya wastani ya Kiingereza na Hisabati. Wanafunzi, walimu na wazazi mara nyingi kulinganisha alama zao katika masomo tofauti, na kudhani, vibaya kwamba wao si kufanya kama vizuri katika ML kama katika masomo yao mengine EBacc - hii itaathiri hadi nusu ya wanafunzi kuchukua GCSE ML. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""Kukubali kwamba karibu wanafunzi wote watajifunza Kiingereza, Hisabati na Sayansi, jinsi gani maksi katika ML kulinganisha na wale katika ""Humanities"" ndoo, mara nyingi alisoma kama somo chaguo pamoja na ML." Mfano huo unajulikana. Katika nchi za Ulaya, matokeo ya utafiti ni ya kawaida ya 5-2 na chini ya 9-6 kwa kiwango cha juu. Masuala makuu ni yapi? - Hii haina kufanya na viwango, pedagogy, ugawaji wa muda au sababu nyingine yoyote. Ni anomaly ya kihistoria dating nyuma ya O-kiwango ambayo imekuwa <unk>baked-katika<unk> na utume kwa QCA na kisha Ofqual kudumisha kulinganisha grading kwa muda, formalized zaidi ya miaka kumi iliyopita na <unk> matokeo kulinganisha<unk> ambapo mgawanyiko wa daraja ni kuhifadhiwa sawa kutoka mwaka mmoja hadi mwingine, tofauti tu kwa mabadiliko katika uwezo wa awali profile ya wale kuchukua somo fulani. Hii sio tu haki, inaweza mara nyingi kusababisha hitimisho bandia kuchorwa: wanafunzi kufikiri kwamba wao si kama nzuri katika ML, na wazazi wanaweza kuchukua mtazamo sawa, hasa kama suala hilo ingekuwa huko wakati wao wenyewe alichukua GCSEs au O-viwango ML walimu inaweza kuwa unfairly walidhani kuwa chini ya utendaji <unk> hasa yoyote ya kulinganisha kutumia maendeleo 8 EBAC vikapu itakuwa kulinganisha ML dhidi ya HiGe na Sayansi <unk> dhahiri si uwanja wa kucheza sawa! Ni nini kinachohitaji kutukia? Ni muhimu kwamba suala hili lijulikane na kueleweka kwa wingi ili kuepuka kuhitimisha makosa, na wanafunzi na wazazi wanahitaji kujua kwamba alama ya chini katika ML haimaanishi kwamba hawafanyi vizuri katika somo hilo. "Kwa mujibu wa Ofqual, ""viwango vya GCSE mpya katika Kifaransa, Kijerumani na Kihispania, ambayo itachunguzwa kwa mara ya kwanza mwezi Juni 2026, vinapaswa kuamuliwa na Ofqual kwa njia ambayo inaleta GCSE ML sawa na masomo mengine ya EBacc.""" Maelezo kamili yanapatikana kwenye https: www.severe-grading.uk ikiwa ni pamoja na muhtasari wa hivi karibuni wa ALL's Languages Today: https: www.severe-grading.uk