Following the chaotic events of this week where, facing significant concerns from parents, students and teachers, exam boards all over the UK have made substantial changes to their moderation of grades it is time for the Department of Education to provide Manx students with some certainty.
Liberal Vannin fully supports all schools and the Department of Education in their attempts to appeal against the shambolic treatment of Manx students by the UK based exam boards.
As the outcome of these appeals isn’t certain, Liberal Vannin is calling on the Department of Education to ensure that the option to sit an exam is offered to all Manx students who want it.
Students in England have been promised they will be able to sit an exam in the autumn – and the Cambridge International exam board that oversees the Island’s IGCSE’s states on its website that an exam option will be available in a later series.
Lawrie Hooper MHK, Party Leader stated:
“It is wrong that students are not able to be judged on their own performance and its wrong that the professional judgment of teachers seems to be getting completely ignored by the exam boards. Any student who wants to try and improve their grade and be measured on their own ability instead of by some arbitrary statistical model, should have the opportunity to do just that. I truly hope the appeals work and this isn’t necessary, but the Department of Education needs to provide some certainty to Manx students by guaranteeing this as an option.”
Party Chair, Michael Josem, said:
“Every Manx student deserves to receive grades that accurately reflect their performance. Those grades must be an accurate reflection of the work by students, and students deserve to be treated fairly.”