Sir Ian Bauckham, chief regulator at Ofqual, said the regulator is doing “extra work” as he is “concerned” by the gap between private school and state school candidates being granted special exam access arrangements.
Data published by Ofqual in November showed that 30.1% of pupils in England were given 25% extra time to complete their GCSEs and A-level exams in the last academic year following a surge in exam access arrangements being granted.
Sir Ian, who was confirmed as Ofqual’s permanent chief regulator last week, said: “If, when we dig into the figures and get under the surface, we find something is happening that isn’t fair to all candidates, whatever school they’re in, then we will take action.
The exams regulator “will take action” if it finds that the higher proportion of private school pupils being given extra time in exams is due to unfairness.
The total number of approved special access arrangements for GCSE, AS and A-level exams rose by 12.3% in the 2023/24 school year compared with the year before, Ofqual data has revealed.
