The exams regulator has said it now thinks GCSE candidates in Year 10 or below should be able to receive grades this summer.

Ofqual, whose chief regulator is Sally Collier (pictured), had previously said that calculated grades would only be awarded to Year 11 students.

The change in plan was revealed today as the regulator began a consultation into its awarding of exam grades.

It said that, having heard from schools, students and parents about the likely effect on younger pupils’ progression if they did not receive a grade, they had decided to award calculated grades to younger candidates where they were due to sit the exam.

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“We suggested in our information published on 3 April 2020 that students in Year 10 and below who had planned to take exams did not need grades this summer for their immediate progression; they could gain the qualification by taking exams in future series. We committed to consulting on this issue,” the regulator said.

“We have since received many representations from schools, students and parents indicating that the progression of some such students would be disrupted if they were not awarded a grade this summer. This would largely be because their timetables and teaching arrangements for the next academic year assume they would have gained the qualification this summer and that further teaching in the subject would have therefore been unnecessary.”

The regulator said it is consulting on whether candidates in Year 10 or below should receive calculated grades this year but believes it should be “permitted”.

The consultation will end on Wednesday 29 April.