GCSE exam fees rebate argument

According the TES, the head of schools calling for 2021 GCSE Exam board fees to be either reduced or cancelled is a mis understanding by the school heads.

Exam Boards feeling the heat by school heads is good to see. There is beginning to show that schools are not immune to crititsing the exam board cabals. Exam Boards are mostly a quango racquet.

It takes lateral and cogent thinking to work out the best way to tackle ones GCSE and A levels for private candiates. While heads are beginning to see the inflexbility of the exam board settlement.

Heads were calling to improve the rebateon exam fees this year to 50 per cent from 25 per cent last year.

While AQA exam board said "it was “important to remember that entry fees aren’t just for exam papers and marking.”

AQA added: "supporting schools through the process" as well as carrying out “a complex and completely new" quality assurance which included developing and delivering training for all staff and examiners.

An AQA spokesperson said: “We know how hard teachers are working this summer to assess and grade students – but unfortunately the calls for much bigger rebates than last year are based on misunderstandings about the amount of work exam boards are doing too, and the huge cost of that.”

In 2020 the AQA exam board paid a £42 million rebate in exam fees, which it said was 26 per cent of total fees. Making their turn over for GCSEs alone to £160 million.