KUALA LUMPUR: The revised A-Level grades for the June 2020 batch of the examination candidates will not be lower than the grades submitted by their schools and colleges.
Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE), which posted this update on their website on Monday, announced that new grades would be issued as soon as possible.
"We have decided that grades we issue for the June 2020 series will not be lower than the predicted grade submitted by the school. Where a grade we issued last week was higher than the predicted grade, the higher grade will stand.
"We will also share the new grades with universities and admissions organisations as soon as we can in the coming days," it said.
It further said the new grades would be posted on Cambridge International Direct.
"It is important to us that Cambridge students can compete on an equal basis with students who have similar national or international qualifications, and that their hard work and achievements are compared fairly.
"We fully recognise the urgent and practical need to help Cambridge students progress with their education and their lives," the post read.
CAIE said that schools can inform the students of the predicted grades submitted to the body, adding that the information was provided to the institutions on results day.
It also said that schools would be updated on the process today (Aug 19).
The update comes on the heels of Education Secretary Gavin Williamson's and Ofqual (The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) apology over fiasco over the grades.
He also announced that the results in England would be based on teacher-based assessment.
The U-turn comes after days of turmoil triggered by the publication of the A-level results on Thursday, where nearly 40 per cent of predicted results were downgraded by the algorithm-based grading system adopted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Some were marked down two or even three grades, causing many to lose their university places.
However the outcome was inevitable after Wales said it would revert to teacher assessments for A-levels, and Northern Ireland said it would do so for GCSEs, following a similar U-turn in Scotland last week.
Hundreds of students protested on the streets of London over the weekend, demonstrating outside the Department for Education. Others took their objections to the airwaves and social media to express their heartache.
Lawyers have also begun mulling the possibility of suing on behalf of affected teenagers and their parents.
Earlier, the Equality and Human Rights Commission said the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation must "remove bias" and allow students to appeal directly if they believe their A-level grades had been unfairly reduced.
This was due to allegations of bias towards students from disadvantaged backgrounds. They reportedly fared the worst, while those from private learning institutions apparently benefited the most.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Association of Private Colleges and Universities (MAPCU) deputy president Dr Pradeep Nair said that the association was grateful that the CAIE had listened to feedback on the grades.
"MAPCU is thankful that students who have already received offers into universities based on the predicted grades will now be able to begin their degree studies uninterrupted."
"The CAIE promises to issue the new grades as soon as possible. This is a huge relief to students and parents."