A-level and GCSE results to be based on teachers' predictions after exams chaos in latest government U-turn

Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, apologised as he bowed to pressure from pupils, parents and other ministers to upgrade hundreds of thousands of A-level and GCSE results.

The climbdown came as Downing Street effectively conceded this year’s results were unfair, just days after Boris Johnson described them as “robust”.

He had faced growing pressure to act as two government ministers broke ranks to express their concerns about the controversial new results system, introduced after the coronavirus pandemic cancelled exams.

Within hours Mr Williamson announced that an algorithm, which had downgraded four in 10 teacher assessed marks, had been ditched.

Instead A-level and GCSE students in England will receive the original grades decided by their teachers, following similar U-turns in Wales and Scotland.

No pupils will lose out, however, as those who had their results marked up instead of down will be allowed to keep the higher grade.

Ministers will also remove a cap on the number of university places this year, in a bid to ensure as many pupils as possible are able to find a place on their preferred course.

Last night Cambridge said it would “be in touch” with all those who held an offer at the university.

But the Russell Group of leading universities called for urgent clarification from ministers on extra financial support for institutions now facing a potentially dramatic rise in student numbers.

And University College London (UCL) announced that students who had now met its offer to study medicine would be guaranteed only a deferred place on next year’s course.

As he made the announcement, Mr Williamson said: “I am sorry for the distress this has caused young people and their parents but hope this announcement will now provide the certainty and reassurance they deserve.”