A YORK head teacher believes changes to exams in 2022 will "address the disruption" caused by the pandemic.

Chris Jeffery, head of Bootham School, made the comments after exam regulator Ofqual revealed a new approach to grading GCSE, AS and A level results in Autumn 2021 and Summer 2022.

It is hoped that the temporary changes will make exams fairer for teenagers who have had their education disrupted by coronavirus.

The adaptations will include a choice of topics on some GCSE exams and exam boards will give advanced information about the content of exams to allow for focused revision. 

The government has confirmed that by 2023 GCSE and A-level results will return to pre-pandemic levels.

You can read a full breakdown of the exam changes here.

Mr Jeffery described the updates as "seemingly sensible" - though urged the Government to help teachers out further.

The head teacher suggested the Government should bring forwards the deadline when teachers learn about any exam content.

In a statement, Mr Jeffery said: "I welcome the publication today of seemingly sensible proposals that take reasonable account of the complex issues involved in the setting and grading of public exams.

"Restricting content in a small number of subjects and giving some indication of what most exams will cover seem proportionate steps to address the disruption and lack of exam experience that those young people taking exams next summer will have suffered, especially A-Level candidates.

"I would ideally like to see the government bring forward the deadline for telling teachers what the exams will test from February 28th. I also hope that the decision about whether ‘Plan B’ of a return to Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGS) is needed or not will be made as early as possible, and with full detail from the outset if it is.

"TAGs are an enormous additional burden on already stretched teachers and should be avoided unless absolutely necessary."

Ofqual previously said this method of testing was as "fair" as it could be.

"Essentially, it’s about being as fair as we can be to students," a spokesperson said.

"Students’ learning has been disrupted due to the pandemic through no fault of their own, and our approach, will take account of that.

"Fairness has been foremost in our minds when thinking about exams this autumn and next year, with students’ interests driving our decisions – both this year’s students and past and future students."