There are claims today that examination boards have acted "immorally" by their last-minute raise of grade boundaries, just days before GCSE results were due to be released, causing the first fall in the number of candidates achieving five A* to C grade passes for the first time since the exams were introduced in 1988.
According to examination boards, the main reason for that drop was the introduction of a tougher new syllabus for GCSE science, where those A* to C grades dropped by 2.2% from last year.
And according to teachers and headteachers, the cause for the drop in the English pass rate was the examination boards' decision to switch the boundary for a C grade pass from 54 marks out of 100 to 64.
Many teachers suggested this set of papers was marked too harshly, while Brian Lightman, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders likened the situation to “a hurdles race in the Olympics and the athletes have just left the ground to jump over the hurdle and it's been raised”.
Chief Executive of the OCR examination board Mark Dawe says: ”There have been some challenges and discussions over the last 24 hours about boundaries, but those boundaries do move, unit to unit, they do move, session to session, but the overall judgment of the examiners and the quality of the students' work is key here, and those boundaries sometimes have to move to ensure that's delivered.“
One result of the drop in top marks could well be the closure of school now seen in light of the fall as "under-performing". Schools will be considered "failing" if they don't make sure at least 40% of their pupils achieve at least five C grades at GCSE including English and math.
Last year's target was 35%, and according to the General Secretary of School and College Leavers Brian Lightman, “A large number of schools have had a serious effect on their five A* to C with English and maths indicator.
“It doesn't take a genius then to conclude that some schools are going to have a big problem with the new higher floor standard as a result of that.
”What it would appear, from what we're seeing here is that standards of achievement haven't changed one iota in those schools, it's just the way the marking has been changed this time round.“
Another result of the drop in top GCSE grades is that thousands of students are likely to find themselves missing out on sixth-form or college places.
But there is hope for those students. For those fortunate enough to know exactly what they want to do for a living, there's the option of vocational training in the form of an apprenticeship.
While many of those students are looking at their results and deciding whether to continue their studies in the best way they can under the circumstances, or to resit those GCSEs and effectively start all over again, others will be changing their plans and applying for apprenticeship vacancies as soon as they can.
Once they're accepted, they'll be working towards the qualifications needed for a good start in the career of their choice while gaining the kind of work experience employers require these days - and all without incurring a mountain of student debt during the process.
For those students, then, it may just be that the examination boards have done them a very big favour.
