THE plan for GCSE and A-Level results and exams has been revealed in full this morning by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson.

Mr Williamson revealed the plans in a statement to the House of Commons, in which he formally confirmed there will be no algorithm used in this year's results, which was widely condemned last summer after many students saw their teacher-assessed grades unfairly downgraded.

He said this year's approach will provide a fair approach to results and dismissed fears it will lead to a "Wild West of grading" one MP feared may happen, questioning the integrity of teaching professionals.

Mr Williamson said: "All our children and young people have paid a considerable price for the disruption of the past year.

"It has knocked their learning off track, it has put their friendships to one side and it has put some of the wonder of growing up on hold.

“In short, it has caused enormous damage to what should have been a carefree and exciting part of growing up.

“I am absolutely committed that with this programme of catch-up measures and the extra funds for tutoring, we can start to put this right – together with the measures we have set out for a fair and robust allocation of grades, young people will be able to look forward to the next stage of their lives with confidence.

“Our approach in the face of the worst disruption to education since the Second World War has been to protect the progress of pupils and students.

“Ultimately, this summer’s assessments will ensure fair routes to the next stages of education or the start of their career. That is our overall aim.

“It is vital they have confidence they will get the grade that is a true and just reflection of their work.

“This year’s students will receive grades determined by their teachers, with assessments covering what they were taught and not what they have missed.

"Teachers have a good understanding of their students’ performance and how they compare to other students this year and from those of previous years.

“Teachers can choose a range of evidence to underpin their assessments, including coursework, in-class tests set by the school and the use of optional questions provided by exam boards and mock exams, and we will of course give guidance on how best to do this fairly and also consistently.

“Exam boards will be issuing grade descriptions to help teachers make sure their assessments are fair and consistent.

"These will be broadly pegged to performance standards from previous years so teachers and students are clear on what is expected at each grade.

“By doing this, combined with a rigorous quality assurance process, are just two of the ways this system will ensure greater fairness and consistency.

"Quality assurance by the exam boards will provide a meaningful check in the system and make sure we can root out malpractice.”

Robert Halfon, chair of the Education Select Committee, asked: "The decision to adopt centre-assessed grades for the second year in a row does highlight the severity of the damage school closures have done and whilst I accept that it’s the least-worst option that the Government has come up with, my concern is not so much about having one’s cake and eating it, but baking a rock cake of grade inflation into the system.

“So will Gavin Williamson confirm what is the Government’s plan to ensure we will not have a Wild West of grading, that these grades will be meaningful to employers so as not to damage children’s life chances and when?"

Mr Williamson responded: "He raises an important issue about grade inflation and this is why we have been doing so much work with the exam board, with Ofqual, in terms of ensuring that there’s the proper internal checks as well as the proper external checks.

“We didn’t feel as if it would be possible to peg to a certain year because sadly as a result of doing that it would probably entail the use of some form of algorithm in order to be best able to deliver that.”

Labour's shadow education secretary Kate Green asked why teachers had not been prioritised for vaccinations, when Mr Williamson said himself he wanted teachers to get the jab as a priority in January.

She said: "On these benches we want to see every pupil safely back in class where they can be with their friends, their teachers, and get the structure and stability they need.

“It’s not enough though simply to say that schools will reopen. There must be a credible plan that will not only enable schools to open fully in March, but will keep them open.

“Mr Williamson has failed to use the period when most pupils were not in school to put the necessary measures in place.

“In January he said he wanted school staff to be in the next wave of vaccinations. So why has there still been no commitment from the Government to prioritise school staff? Does he no longer believe they should be a priority?"

Mr Williamson responded: “I don’t want to be in a position where I try and pre-empt the independent work of JCVI but obviously we look forward to seeing what that says.”