It is the government’s firm intention that exams will take place next year, but if exams are cancelled, a teacher assessed grades (TAGs) process, similar to 2021, is the contingency for 2022.

This announcement from the Department for Education and Ofqual follows a consultation on the arrangements that will apply to GCSEs, A/AS Levels and Extended Project qualifications in the event that exams do not go ahead.

The DfE and Ofqual have further confirmed that if exams are cancelled in some parts of England, TAGs will be implemented nationally.  Ofqual has published guidance for teachers about how to collect evidence to inform TAGs.  This information is summarised on the OCR website.

Private candidates should register to sit exams in 2022 in the usual way. They will be supported to find opportunities to generate evidence required for TAGs.

Decisions on appeals and overall quality assurance have not yet been confirmed.

The contingency arrangements are in addition to the range of adaptations already confirmed for exams next summer including: a choice of topics in some GCSE exams; advance information to focus students’ revision in subjects where there is not a choice of topics; and support materials like formulae sheets in maths.  

For Cambridge Nationals and Cambridge Technicals and other vocational qualifications that are most similar to GCSEs and A/AS Levels, the intention is that results would be awarded using teacher assessed grades (TAGs) as they were in 2020-21.  The process would be improved by providing tighter guidance on the evidence on which TAGs would be based.