Ofqual chief defends ditched exam-sitting data and raises AI fears

England's chief regulator of exams has put up a staunch defence of Ofqual after it was forced to withdraw a decade of statistics detailing students granted extra time and other assistance for A-levels and GCSEs.

- Sally Weale

In his first interview with a national media organisation since his permanent appointment as head of Ofqual, and just weeks after the data was dramatically pulled, Sir Ian Bauckham insisted there had been no error in the figures, blaming instead the way they had been interpreted.

He also denied that the data "misunderstanding", which comes five years after Ofqual's disastrous attempt during Covid to award GCSE and A-level grades by algorithm, had further undermined confidence in the organisation, insisting: "We've got a qualification system in this country to be proud of."

In an interview with the Guardian, the chief regulator also addressed the debate surrounding the government's curriculum and assessment review. He warned against any wholesale move from exams to coursework, citing the potential for "malpractice" due to students' growing use of AI.

He also urged caution over the introduction of digital exams, saying that any assessment innovation must be secure and deliverable, and should not disadvantage poorer students who may not have had the same access to digital devices and software as their wealthier peers.