Ofqual has concluded that the 2018 summer series was “successful, well planned, and effectively delivered”.

This successful delivery of qualifications by exam boards comes despite 2018 being one of the biggest years of reformed qualifications, according to Ofqual’s summer report on GCSEs, AS and A Levels. The report provides an overview of exam boards’ planning, administration and marking, together with a summary of the awarding process and post-results activities.

The report shows that exam results continued to be stable with variability in school and college results similar to previous years.  This, says Ofqual, suggests that teachers and students responded well to the considerable reforms.

Most exams taken this summer were in reformed qualifications - 94 of them, with marking and results completed on time. 14.7 million scripts were generated by 1.3 million students and 6.2 million certificates were awarded.

The report highlights particular areas that Ofqual will increase its monitoring for next year’s exams including a review of:

• assessment materials for reformed GCSE and A Level qualifications awarded for the first time this summer
• optionality and predictability in reformed qualifications
• how exam boards are using their assessment strategies in the on-going delivery of their qualifications
• the extent to which exam boards have fully embedded improvements in their quality of marking and reviews of marking
• those subjects where there is a particular pattern of grade changes following requests for a review or marking or moderation
• exam boards’ investigation and management of malpractice allegations
• the extent to which exam boards have made improvements to their safeguards around teacher involvement in the development of confidential assessment materials.