No system of assessing academic performance can be perfect, but the one thing the coronavirus lockdowns proved is that exams are fairer than teacher-assessed grades.
That is why, although some students will be disappointed with their grades this week, there is a general acceptance that the return to externally marked exams was necessary.
Gavin Williamson, the former education secretary, made such a mess of lockdowns that exams were cancelled for two years running. There were arguments on both sides about whether those exams could have gone ahead, and The Independent’s view was that more could have been done to try to continue with them, but once they were cancelled there is no doubt that Mr Williamson mishandled the algorithm that was intended to keep grades comparable with previous years.
