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<p>It was right that the department planned for exams to go ahead because they are
the fairest method of assessing what students know and can do. Despite education remaining
a national priority, the department remained conscious that the course of the virus
and the subsequent extent of necessary public health restrictions would be unknown.
We therefore worked closely with Ofqual and the exam boards to plan for a range of
scenarios between August 2020 and January 2021. This allowed the department to launch
the joint Department for Education and Ofqual consultation on alternative arrangements
to exams on 15 January, soon after my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State’s
statement to the house on 6 January that, given the further disruption to education,
exams could not go ahead as planned.</p><p>The department has now confirmed further
details on alternative arrangements to exams, which can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/awarding-qualifications-in-summer-2021/awarding-qualifications-in-summer-2021"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/awarding-qualifications-in-summer-2021/awarding-qualifications-in-summer-2021</a>.</p>
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