BSB: Bar students’ results “broadly in line” with the average – Legal Futures

Posted September 28th, 2020 in barristers, coronavirus, examinations, internet, legal education, news by sally

‘The early signs are that the performance of Bar professional training course students in last month’s controversial exams was “broadly in line” with the average, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) said yesterday.’

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Legal Futures, 25th September 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Bar students required to decide exam retake before knowing results – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted September 18th, 2020 in barristers, coronavirus, examinations, legal education, news by tracey

‘Aspiring barristers caught up in last month’s bar exam fiasco will have to decide whether or not to retake them before knowing their results.nStudents have until 21 September to register to take the centralised Bar Professional Training Course in professional ethics and civil and criminal litigation – using the traditional pen and paper – starting from 5 October. They will have to decide before knowing the results of their August exams, which were plagued with technical faults. The civil and criminal litigation results for the August sit will be released on 12 October. The professional ethics results will be released on 6 November.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 17th September 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

BSB: Exams problems “worse than thought” as it rejects alternative plan – Legal Futures

Posted September 14th, 2020 in barristers, coronavirus, equality, examinations, internet, legal education, news by tracey

‘Problems with the Bar exams were far more extensive than previously reported, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) has admitted as it announced traditional “pen and paper” resits next month.’

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Legal Futures, 14th September 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Grammar school discriminated against visually impaired child, tribunal finds – The Guardian

‘Grammar schools in England will have to ensure their 11-plus entrance exams are accessible to disabled pupils, after a legal ruling found a visually impaired child suffered discrimination when he was refused the opportunity to take the exam.’

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The Guardian, 9th September 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

GCSE results: Key Q&As for Students and Schools – 3PB

Posted August 28th, 2020 in chambers articles, coronavirus, education, examinations, news, school children by sally

‘This year is a year like no other. Students have found out how they performed in exams they did not even sit. The Department for Education (“DfE”) changed its approach in a major U-turn five days after the A Level results were released.’

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3PB, 20th August 2020

Source: www.3pb.co.uk

Bar students call on regulator to waive exam requirement – Legal Futures

Posted August 20th, 2020 in barristers, computer programs, coronavirus, examinations, legal education, news by sally

‘A petition calling on the Bar Standards Board (BSB) to waive the requirement that Bar students complete the centralised BSB exams has attracted more than 1,000 signatures on its first day.’

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Legal Futures, 20th August 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

BSB chief aims to arrange exam resits as soon as possible – Legal Futures

Posted August 18th, 2020 in barristers, complaints, computer programs, examinations, legal education, news by sally

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is looking to arrange another round of exams well before December, its chief executive has told Legal Futures, as complaints about the online system mount.’

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Legal Futures, 18th August 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Successful TOEIC appellants to be granted 2.5 years Leave to Remain – Garden Court Chambers

‘The Home Office has agreed that any TOEIC appellants who succeed in their appeals on Article 8 grounds, should be granted 2.5 years leave to remain.’

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Garden Court Chambers, 4th August 2020

Source: www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk

A-level student launches legal bid against Ofqual – The Guardian

‘An A-level student has launched a legal bid against the exams regulator Ofqual to “force them to come up with a fairer system”.’

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The Guardian, 16th August 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

A-level results: ‘Huge mess’ as exams appeal guidance withdrawn – BBC News

‘The exams regulator is reviewing its guidance on how to appeal against A-level and GCSE grades using mock exam results – hours after publishing it.’

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BBC News, 16th August 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Muslim Bar student “forced to defer exam” over headscarf demand – Legal Futures

‘A Muslim Bar student has spoken about how she felt forced to defer her exams to December because the Bar Standards Board (BSB) said she had to remove her headscarf for ID purposes but could not guarantee that it would a woman who would watch.’

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Legal Futures, 14th August 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

A-level Students Consider Legal Action Over Downgrade ‘Discrimination’ – Each Other

‘The government could face legal action over the mass downgrading of A-level results in England, with affected students saying they feel discriminated against over their school’s track-record.’

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Each Other, 13th August 2020

Source: eachother.org.uk

Barristers step in to support beleaguered Bar students – Legal Futures

Posted August 13th, 2020 in barristers, complaints, computer programs, examinations, legal education, news by sally

‘Barristers have offered to support the dozens of Bar students who have so far reported major problems with taking their exams, including having to urinate into bottles and buckets in front of their computers.’

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Legal Futures, 13th August 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Bar students hit by technical failures in first online test – Legal Futures

Posted August 13th, 2020 in barristers, complaints, computer programs, examinations, legal education, news by sally

‘A “small number” of Bar students were affected by technical issues that prevented them from completing their first online exam, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) said yesterday amid a stream of complaints, along with calls from practitioners for the regulator to act.’

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Legal Futures, 12th August 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Students lodge formal complaint against BPP alleging City favouritism – Law Society’s Gazette

‘A multifaceted complaint against legal educator BPP from students on its postgraduate solicitor programmes was formally submitted today.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 11th August 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Jack Maxwell and Joe Tomlinson: Model students: why Ofqual has a legal duty to disclose the details of its model for calculating GCSE and A level grades – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted July 28th, 2020 in coronavirus, disclosure, examinations, news, teachers by sally

‘On 18 March 2020, the UK Government cancelled GCSE and A level exams for students in England. The closure of schools and the need to slow the spread of COVID-19 made exams impracticable. But the Prime Minister confirmed that students would still get ‘the qualifications they need and deserve for their academic career.’ This created an obvious headache for public administration: the objective was to create a legitimate system of assessment, which could maintain confidence, without actual assessments.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 28th July 2020

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Online invigilators will be watching Bar students’ every move – Legal Futures

Posted June 30th, 2020 in barristers, examinations, legal education, news by sally

‘Online invigilators for the Bar exams taking place in August have been trained to differentiate between candidates looking around naturally and trying to read hidden notes, students have been warned.’

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Legal Futures, 30th June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘Against natural justice’: father to sue exams regulator over A-level grades system – The Guardian

‘Fears Ofqual’s Covid-19 method of adjusting marks in line with a school’s prior performance will penalise bright pupils.’

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The Guardian, 20th June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

BSB defends online exams after students raise discrimination concerns – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The Bar Standards Board has defended its decision to move exams online, saying “there was simply not enough time” to consult widely about the change. Students have claimed the computer-based assessments will discriminate against women, carers and disabled candidates.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 19th June 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

SRA to press ahead with launch of SQE in autumn 2021 – Legal Futures

‘The Covid-19 crisis will not stop the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) in September 2021, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has decided.’

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Legal Futures, 8th June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk