Thread on this proposal to use mocks as Plan B for grading. The impression given is that @educationgovuk thinks a couple of tweaks would make mocks fit for purpose, but this is completely wrong (GW has form on misuse of mocks). Here are some of the issues. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/oct/10/plan-b-for-rigorous-mock-exams-to-avoid-rerun-of-a-level-fiasco

1. Standardised conditions. This is addressed in the article as if minister think it is the only problem. Yes, it is important, but most schools do this anyway in my experience. Every year we use invigilators and rigorous exam conditions for internal exams.

2. Standardised papers. For anything resembling a level playing field you can't have schools selecting or creating their own papers. They need to be produced centrally by experts in assessment design. They seem to have thought of this, but it creates other issues (see below).

3. Standardised timing. Everyone must sit papers at the same point or some have an unfair advantage and integrity of papers is threatened (if papers are centrally produced, which I think is essential). Schools currently sit mocks at a range of different times.

4. All students must have studied the same material. Currently schools cover specifications in different orders at their own pace. The exam paper might be excellent, but if students haven't studied everything on it then it's not a valid method of assessment.

5. Exams must be invisible to teachers before the mocks. If this doesn't happen then we will have a tidal wave of washback which will be the enemy of good, balanced teaching of the specification.

6. Centrally set grade boundaries. At present mock grades are used for a variety of purposes, many of them formative rather than summative e.g. encouraging pupils, giving them the proverbial kick, deciding who needs intervention etc.

7. External marking. If we want rigour we can't expect schools to mark the work of their own students. The pressure to inflate, especially at key boundaries, will be unbearable. At the very least there must be external moderation.

Those are just a few of many issues. Some can be fixed but I think others are insurmountable. If all were implemented they would be public exams, not mocks. This gets to the heart of the issue: the problem isn't that mocks aren't done rigorously, but that they are mocks!

To be clear, the last thing I am asking for is another set of public exams! I'm also aware we are in a situation which is far from ideal and there won't be a perfect solution. I'd just like reassurance that all the problems with mocks are considered, unlike in the summer!