The chair of the Commons’ education select committee has warned that teachers may overcompensate when awarding GCSE and A-level grades this year, if they played by the rules in 2020 and lost out.

In a letter today from Robert Halfon, chair of the committee, to education secretary Gavin Williamson, he writes: “There is a risk that the teachers who ‘played by the rules’ last year, while others perhaps inflated grades more heavily, are not going to make that same ‘mistake’ this year and could potentially overcompensate when reaching their judgements on student grades.”

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“Last August, many students were left feeling that their school’s actions had placed them in an unfair position in comparison to others,” he added.

“This was despite the requirement for ‘heads of centre’ to sign off results in line with Ofqual’s required declaration, which headteachers and college principals are being asked to do again. However, this year there will be a much wider basis on which students and parents can seek an appeal should they question their grades.”

In the letter, Mr Halfon also warned that teacher-assessed grading this summer could create a “Wild West” of chaos.

It came on the morning that the largest teaching union claimed the the government had been “entirely unethical” over GCSEs and A levels and was “hiding behind” teachers who would be “lambasted” over grade inflation.