Marking

The 2026 National Reference Test: rising attainment in maths and what this means for grades

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: A levels and GCSEs, Exams, Grading, Marking, National Reference Test, Qualifications, Results
Young person sitting at a small desk using a pencil to write on a notepad, with a window behind them.

The 2026 National Reference Test results are out. They show a long-term trend of slightly improved attainment in GCSE maths, but not in English language. To ensure standards are maintained, we told exam boards to take the NRT results into account when setting some GCSE maths grade boundaries. Here we explain what that means.

Using AI in marking: why technical capability, fairness, and transparency all matter

Posted by: and , Posted on: - Categories: A levels and GCSEs, Artificial intelligence, Exams, Marking, Results

Ofqual has published new research exploring artificial intelligence’s potential role in marking, as well as its current capabilities and constraints. Rather than providing definitive answers, the published working paper offers an overview of the topic, shares our current thinking, highlights …