Ofqual to review why some students still waiting for results

The exams regulator is to review why some students have been left waiting days for their results after education leaders criticised awarding organisations for leaving students in limbo.

Hundreds of thousands of students received A-level, BTec and T-level exam results on Thursday, but some in England and Wales who took BTec qualifications had no news of their grades.

Some students who took Cambridge Technical results were also affected.

Ofqual, the exams regulator in England, confirmed in a statement on Monday evening that while “good progress” was being made, some awarding organisations were still processing results.

A spokesman said Ofqual’s “first priority is students expecting results this year”, but added that it is “clearly important that we review what has happened to make sure that students in future years receive results when they expect them”.

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and Association of Colleges (AoC) both voiced criticism of awarding bodies for leaving students in the lurch at what they said is already a stressful time of year.

Exam board Pearson apologised over the weekend as some students were still waiting for their BTec (Business & Technology Education Council) results, leaving them unable to confirm university places.

Pearson said at the weekend that “a tiny percentage” of students were still waiting to hear their results.

The BBC reported that the delay had affected about 2,000 students.

BTecs are described by Pearson as career–focused qualifications with a focus on skills-based learning.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of ASCL, criticised the “obfuscation” he had seen when questioning those involved in the system over the delay.

He told BBC Breakfast on Monday that students “deserve better”, adding: “They’ve missed out not just on being able to celebrate with their friends last Thursday how they’ve done, they’re then in this kind of limbo as to whether they’re going to get their higher education course, and then they’re still worrying about whether they’re going to get the accommodation they need.

“Frankly, it’s not good enough.”

Mr Barton said he had had numerous conversations with people involved in the system over the past two days, but it had been “a weekend of obfuscation”, with officials claiming the number of students waiting was “hundreds fewer” than the figure reported by the BBC.

David Hughes, AoC chief executive, said it was “simply unfair” that the affected students were having to wait days for their results.

He called for lessons need to be learned “so that this does not happen again” and criticised the “distant and incomplete statements” that had been made about the situation.

He said: “We have a lot of questions about what went wrong and the timing and sequence of events. We need to know at what point the awarding organisations became aware of problems and why they did not act more swiftly.

“We need to understand why they have not yet released any statement on the numbers of students without results and why they have failed to put up any spokesperson for the media.

“Students deserve better than distant and incomplete statements from the awarding organisations who should show more care for the ultimate customers of their qualifications.”

The Ofqual spokesman said they have “every sympathy with students still awaiting BTec and Cambridge Technical results that they were expecting to receive alongside A levels”.

He said awarding organisations “continue to process results and are making good progress” and added that Ofqual had asked to be given regular updates “so that the public can be confident that awarding organisations are swiftly issuing valid results”.

He said: “While our first priority is students expecting results this year, it is clearly important that we review what has happened to make sure that students in future years receive results when they expect them, so they can progress in their education, apprenticeship or employment.

“We will continue to work across the sector, in addition to using our regulatory relationship with awarding organisations, to this end.”

A spokesperson for Pearson previously advised any student waiting for their results to call the exam board on 0345 618 0440.

They said university admissions service Ucas had said the best thing a student could do is contact their university of choice directly so the institution knows they want the offered place, and Pearson said it can call universities for students to explain the situation.

The exam board was contacted for an update on Monday.