A Level Algorithm- How did the 'numbers' on the screen feel on results day?

Before the government's welcome U-turn to use centre assessed grades for A level students, there was an prominent outcry on social media. Thousands of students were sharing the disparities in their calculated grades, when compared to their educational achievement throughout the last 2 years. Paired with this, teachers shared a feeling of powerlessness- aware that they had done all they could, but still feeling an unnecessary level of responsibility and guilt. Finally, parents felt a great deal of sympathy for their sons and daughters- aware that the algorithm utilised by Gavin Williamson failed to acknowledge the amount of work students had put into their studies for the past 2 years- hard work that was likely to secure them a spot in higher education. However, for many on the 13th of August- this spot was taken away from them. Ergo, I began to collate quotes from parents, teachers and students regarding their feelings on A level results day. Although one must acknowledge the government's decision to change the grading system, it is imperative we don't simply forget and move on from the chaos the algorithm put in place. Indeed, I should rephrase that to avoid euphemistic/ impersonal language- it's not an algorithm we should be 'blaming', it's the figures of authority who put the system in place, approved of it, reinforced the narrative that it was 'fair and robust' and only changed their viewpoint following a stream of criticism. This is especially poignant when one recognises that their was an abundance of concern between the months of March and August about the standardisation system, with the Education Select Committee publishing a report that raised concerns on unfair bias. Robert Halfon MP stated 'we have serious worries about the fairness of the model developed by Ofqual. There is a risk it will lead to unfair bias and discrimination against already disadvantaged groups and we are far from convinced that the appeal system, which will be more important than ever this year, will be fair. The appeals process seems to favour the well-heeled and sharp-elbowed and there is the potential for the system to resemble the Wild West of appeals with different systems used by different exam boards'. Therefore, many have perceived Gavin Williamson's statement that he first became aware of the problems with the algorithm on results day and 'over the weekend', as a case of severe negligence and misjudgement- a decision that has certainly caused high levels of mental distress across the country. Below I will include some of the quotes people shared with me.