The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the educational trajectories of students completing their GCSEs and 16-19 qualifications in 2020 and 2021. With examinations cancelled and grades determined by Centre Assessed Grades (CAGs) and Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs), more GCSE students met the entry requirements for level 3 study, and more sixth form and colleges students met the entry requirements for their preferred higher education destinations.
“Beyond Teacher Assessed Grades: Post-16 Education Choices and COVID-19” provides the most comprehensive assessment to date of how these changes influenced student choices and retention outcomes and the mismatch between students’ prior attainment and the programmes they pursued. These insights are central to current policy debates on qualification reform, accountability, support for vulnerable learners and the provision of high-quality careers guidance.
