UK exams debacle

What do Britons think about it?

The algorithm used by exam regulator Ofqual as an alternative to school leaving qualification turned into a massive controversy with a significant percentage of students receiving downgraded scores. This report delves into the current public sentiment around this flawed initiative, as well as their trust in authorities. Government agencies can leverage this data in their decision making.

Ofqual’s use of a mathematical algorithm for exam scores and its subsequent reversal has been dubbed a spectacular failure of imagination. With the miscalculated results threatening their university plans, hundreds of students took to the streets in protest, embarrassing an already beleaguered government. Few weeks into the fiasco now, how confident are Britons about the smooth functioning of the education department? Piplsay polled 12,419 people nationwide to get these insights. Here’s a summary of what we found:

Other Insights

• An equal 44% of men and women have no confidence in the government’s ability to conduct the upcoming exams smoothly
• 62% of men think ministers should be held responsible for the exam fiasco as compared to just 38% of women
• 60% of Gen Xers and 52% of Millennials believe PM Johnson did not handle the exam crisis well
• 54% of Gen Zers think the PM should be involved in every crisis that comes his way as compared to 46% of Gen Xers

Survey Methodology: This Piplsay survey (powered by Market Cube) was conducted nationwide in the UK from August 30-31, 2020. We received 12,419 online responses from individuals aged 18 years and older.