Petition · past parliament
Shorten A-level specifications due to Coronavirus for the 2021 exams
Rejected
13 signatures
What the petition asks
Year 12 students have missed a third of the academic year due to Coronavirus. Many students don’t have the ability to access materials they need causing them to fall behind. The courses are too wide to allow appropriate catch up then learning of a years worth of new information.
A levels are already a stressful time, the effects of lockdown have just caused more students mental health to plummet. This has lead to different students being at vastly different stages creating a difficult challenge for teachers when we return back to school. A shorter spec would allow us time to focus on the missed time and get back on track.
Why it was rejected
It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.
Decisions about exams are a matter for exam boards, individual schools and Ofqual, and are not a matter for the UK Government or Parliament.
We have published the following petition, which you might like to sign:
Work with regulators and exam providers to clarify exam arrangements for 2021: Work with regulators and exam providers to clarify exam arrangements for 2021
Exam cancellations and the current coronavirus pandemic can cause worry and stress. You can find information on how to deal with stress here:
Young Minds: https://youngminds.org.uk/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwpfHzBRCiARIsAHHzyZq25dJRPEYEgu_Jsyh9e-Ehmx_IlSA1wM_dLnm-DFYTu_93cvsIoH8aAkB9EALw_wcB
Children’s Society: https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/mental-health-advice-for-children-and-young-people/issues-affecting-young-people
Childline: https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/your-feelings/anxiety-stress-panic/coping-with-stress/
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/
We have published the following petition, which you might like to sign:
Work with regulators and exam providers to clarify exam arrangements for 2021: Work with regulators and exam providers to clarify exam arrangements for 2021
Exam cancellations and the current coronavirus pandemic can cause worry and stress. You can find information on how to deal with stress here:
Young Minds: https://youngminds.org.uk/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwpfHzBRCiARIsAHHzyZq25dJRPEYEgu_Jsyh9e-Ehmx_IlSA1wM_dLnm-DFYTu_93cvsIoH8aAkB9EALw_wcB
Children’s Society: https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/mental-health-advice-for-children-and-young-people/issues-affecting-young-people
Childline: https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/your-feelings/anxiety-stress-panic/coping-with-stress/
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/
Timeline
| 26 May 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 29 May 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
13
Status
Rejected
Rejected
29 May 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.