this is bbc news, i'm carrie gracie, the headlines at 9:003m... more results chaos for hundreds of thousands of pupils as btec students are told they won't get their marks, just hours before they were due to be published. we are working very closely with ucas, with the independent regulator and the exam boards to make sure no young person is disadvantaged as a consequence of this delay. this morning gcse students will get their results after a government u—turn meant their marks will be based on teacher assessed grades. iam here i am here in mary immaculate high school in cardiff where pupils have already begun to open their results ina week already begun to open their results in a week that has already been overshadowed by government u—turns.

the russian opposition figure alexei navalny is unconscious in hospital with suspected poisoning. the anti—corruption campaigner fell ill during a flight. kamala harris is formally nominated as joe biden‘s running mate in the us election. if the democrats win she would be the first woman vice president in american history. good morning and welcome to bbc news. just hours before they were expected to get their exam results, hundreds of thousands of btec students have been told they'll have to wait and their marks will be reassessed. it comes after an intense row over how results were calculated for this year's a—level and gcse students, which will now be awarded

using teacher assessments rather than a controversial computer algorithm. dan johnson reports. just hours before results, we broke the news to isabel that there's more delay and disruption. i know that the btec results are going to get delayed. i feel kind of angry about it, because... and you don't know what's happening? yeah, we all feel very confused. awarding body pearson said in a letter to schools and colleges... those higher grades came from the u—turn that saw marks agreed by teachers replace calculated grades that officials accepted were unfair. the disparity then shifted to technical and vocational students because they do more coursework and fewer exams, so they didn't

benefit from the upgrade. some marks were withheld. all the commitment and the hard work, obviously we expected to see and we couldn't, but i'm now really happy that finally we are being listened to and treated just like a—level students have been. now last week's vocational marks will be regraded. no students will be downgraded through this further review but it could mean some face different options for the future and those who have missed out on their first choice may still struggle to get it. i think it's kind of shown that people think less of the btecs. like, they're the equivalent of three a—levels. what i am studying is essentially me studying three a—levels, and it's frustrating that there is a lack of people that see that. this is a late move to put some fairness back into a system that has let down so many students and has now left more facing further uncertainty. dan johnson, bbc news. our political correspondent helen

catt is at westminster. late moves that all cost political capital? yes, it does. after the u—turn on a—levels and the u—turn on gcses before the results came out today, the government might have thought it would be in for a slightly calmer day to day but the last minute decision by exam board pearson to pull the btec results last night means that isn't the case. it was the exam board's decision to do that but it's a direct consequence of the earlier u—turns on a—levels and gcses and now grades have been uplifted there, pearson felt it needed to bring btec is in line with that. labour have called this repeated chaos, that it is unacceptable. lid lib dems have called it a shambles. questions continue to be asked of ministers of what they knew and when. nick gibb was asked about claims a former department of a secretary, john

coles that there would be problems. where you want six weeks ago there would be problems? john coles rang me six weeks ago and i was concerned. so i called a meeting with quual, the regulators, senior officials of the department, this was injuly, officials of the department, this was in july, and officials of the department, this was injuly, and we went through the concernsjohn had. he felt the model as devised would disadvantaged young people from poorer families. we discuss that in great detail and i was reassured it would not. in fact it turned out that it did not. for all the problems we encountered, it's not... the downgrade of the grade did not disproportionally affect young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. are you saying it did not disproportionally affect... the grades inflation, according to the algorithm, was higherfor students who

according to the algorithm, was higher for students who were in smaller classes, isn't that true? yes, that's true. because statistically, if you have a small cohort, and those small cohorts can be in the independent sector or the state sector, you... under the model you rely more on the teacher assessed grades. isn't at the opposite of what you just said? no, because it had a very small impact overall. what i was concerned about always, right from the beginning, at the forefront of my mind, was that the forefront of my mind, was that the model should not disadvantage people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and that proved to be the case. that's likely to be the focus of a lot of the scrutiny and nick gibb did expect to see enquiries into this and he expects to be called before the education select committee which is holding an enquiry into the impact of coronavirus on education. he said the statistics authority is looking at the maths of the algorithm. it's

interesting he is standing by the algorithm itself saying it's not the model that was wrong but the way it was applied that throughout up problems. there will clearly be a lot of scrutiny and a postmortem on this but i think in the immediate term that the pressure will be on the department for education to make sure those exam results to go out next week for btecs and any other problems raised by this are dealt with, and there will be immediate pressure on the department for education to show they are in control of the situation. what are the questions you want answered about exam results, just after 9.30 we'll be putting some of them to grainne hallahan from the times educational supplement. do get in touch if you have a question — use the hashtag bbcyourquestions on social media, or email yourquestions@bbc.co.uk in a moment we will talk to tomos morgan, who's at the mary immaculate high school in cardiff. first to county antrim and our correspondent chris page at the carrickfergus academy.

kate green is the shadow education secretary. how is the mood there? are not of nervousness on this huge morning for pupils and teachers. —— a lot of nervousness. we can have a quick word with the principal, doctor paula downing. more positive this morning after what was a pretty stressful, more stressful than usual, weak. it's absolutely great to get to today. we are looking at really positive outcomes for all pupils this morning and compared to la st pupils this morning and compared to last thursday we are much happier with where we are this week than la st with where we are this week than last thursday. is the btec results delay affecting you, you have a number of pupils doing them?‘ delay affecting you, you have a number of pupils doing them? a third of our students would be waiting for confirmation of btec results this morning so there is a bit of frustration about the fact that was last—minute yesterday frustration about the fact that was last— minute yesterday evening, frustration about the fact that was last—minute yesterday evening, but we are in the position where we have

information for our students that allows them to move forward with whatever they want to take today, be it coming back to carrickfergus academy, further education or employment, so we are in a much better position this week than last week. more pupils coming in to pick up week. more pupils coming in to pick up the gcse results right now so we can talk to a couple of them. nicole, how have your results gone today? i'm absolutely pleased with the results i've achieved today. last week it was really stressful. last week it was really stressful. last week it was really stressful. last week with the scottish drama and their results it was amazing to get them today and that's it over and done with. what subjects are you particularly pleased about?|j received particularly pleased about?” received bs and bs so i'm very pleased. i would like to pursue a career as a lawyer.

pleased. i would like to pursue a career as a lawyer. i'm definitely looking into history, politics a—levels. looking into history, politics a-levels. so you will stay on at the sixth form to continue a s&a level studies? i would like to finish my school here to give myself more opportunities in life. many congratulations. nicole, what grades have come your way this morning? lots of s and and dan a‘ as well. it was great to get those results. when the a—level results came out and there was so much controversy over there was so much controversy over the way they have been awarded, so many people disappointed. so knowing you had results coming your way this week, how did it make you feel?m definitely scared me because my sister was receiving her a—levels so she was a wee bit worried. what's

the plan now for you now this big day is over and done with? will you come back here to begin a—level and a.s. studies? i will definitely come back here to begin a—level and a.s. studies? iwill definitely be returning to carrickfergus academy. it seems to be very popular as a choice. congratulations to you both enter all your classmates in the school hall here at carrickfergus. 30,000 gcse pupils getting their results today. we can hear the situation in wales with my colleague tomos morgan. thank you, chris. i'm here in mary immaculate high school in cardiff where the floodgates have opened and the pupils are now receiving their gcse results after what has been a difficult week for them, a huge u—turn from all devolved governments on monday meaning gcse, as—level and a—level pupils across the uk and across the four nations would be receiving grades predicted to them by their

teachers. 0ne happy customer this morning is louis. how did you get on? i got three a‘s, some as and some bs. after the u—turn i was really confident in my teachers and i'm happy they gave me the results i deserved. georgia, you did quite well, so what are your plans for the future? i am going to go to sixth form college. double maths, chemistry and biology, to potentially have a career in medicine. how have you found the last couple of months? they have been weird. it felt very strange, but i feel like we are slowly coping. i suppose it's the same for you, beatrice. you got what you wa nted you, beatrice. you got what you wanted and you feel you have worked for, but not just wanted and you feel you have worked for, but notjust not taking exams, how has it been working from home and doing coursework you need to

from home? i have tried my best to make sure i keep my brain active and things. i have been waking up early, doing my college work and going out for walks, just making sure i keep good mental health and stuff because it has been a long time inside, more than six months now. but with my results i feel like i have put the work in so i'm happy i got the results i did. and you are the head teacher here, that's the thing we have sort of forgotten about. it's a lwa ys have sort of forgotten about. it's always a difficult day, gcse results day, always anxious for everyone involved but actually, for a lot of stu d e nts involved but actually, for a lot of students here and across the country, who have been working from home, that's been difficult for you and them. it has, it's been adapting to new technologies and new ways of working but the teaching profession isa working but the teaching profession is a resilient one and our young people are resilient as well and are able to meet that challenge, i think. one thing that needs to be

looked at now is if there was a second wave and things were to deteriorate again next year so what things can be done to ease the burden on teachers and students next year if we were to have similar issues regarding the coronavirus? the welsh exam board could reduce some of the content and the coursework in different courses, and that means the ability for teachers to co m plete that means the ability for teachers to complete the courses would be better going forward. all the lessons we have learned in the last couple of weeks, and injune and july have been really positive, over social distancing and hygiene. but also about the whole learning structures, that can be brought back pretty quickly if needed. students getting what they wanted and needed and what they feel they need to progress in their careers. it has been an anxious week and the nexus few months for all pupils here in cardiff as it has been across the uk, but now there has been a resolution after those u—turns on

monday. studio: thank you to tomos morgan and congratulations to all those students. as we were hearing from county antrim and cardiff, some figures coming in on gcse grades across the board. that's in english and maths, there have been steep grade rises apparently, in english, 80.2% gota grade rises apparently, in english, 80.2% got a grade four or pass grade, compared to 70.5% last year. almost a quarter, 23.5%, got a top grade of seven or higher compared with 17.4% last year. in maths, almost four in five past, is 72.2%, compared with 71.5 last year. and 24.3 got grade seven or higher, and that's compared with 20.4 last year. so there are some rises there. we can get more on that and indeed on everything else this morning regarding grades and exams.

kate green is the shadow education secretary. thank you so much for your patience. 0n the point i was making about the grades shuffling up, that was a fear for government, that there would be some inflation if there was reliance on teacher assessment. it seems to have been the only thing really driving the government instead of what they should have been thinking about which is the best interests of young people. ithink about which is the best interests of young people. i think it's really important to recognise that these young people have already had a very disrupted few months to their education because of the covid crisis. they have not been in class and we should be bending over backwards to make sure we do everything to enable them to show theirfull everything to enable them to show their full potential and capability. it isn't surprising that teacher grades will be different and more generous to students because they see a broader picture than a simple one—off end of term exam. i think they are much better aware of stu d e nts they are much better aware of students upon of you wider performance and entertainment and

what they are capable of doing and that's reflected in teacher assessments. we can now see the real dangers of the system where you put all your eggs in one basket, when a crisis like this it's. let's talk specifically about the btecs. later on yesterday it was announced those would be delayed. the delay i suppose inevitable after the gcse and a—level decisions, for the sake of fairness, but are you relieved the schools minister nick gibb says he hopes the result will be out next week. i don't think it's good enough. of course we don't want the results to be wrong, they must be the right results for those young people, but what on earth has been going on since last week when it became clear the results would need to be looked at again? why is it gcse results are able to be published today but level one and level two btec results are not ready? it's utterly unfair on these

young people. you psych yourself up to get results, you expect you would know today where you stand so you can make plans for the next stage in your career of further study. you feel utterly let down because you haven't got grades today. 0r feel utterly let down because you haven't got grades today. or if you haven't got grades today. or if you have got them, you are told they could change. it's no way to treat young people. the government was warned weeks ago their algorithm might not treat students fairly so i would like to know what they have been doing since then, what they have been doing since we saw the scottish highers results three weeks ago and we knew there would be problems, what they have done since the a—level results last week was up it's disgraceful, unforgivable. mentioning the algorithm, the schools minister this morning made a distinction between the model, which he said was robust, and the algorithm which he targeted as the problem. do you accept that distinction? i don't think young people will accept that distinction. it's dancing on the head of a pin. he said that we saw no inherent

disadvantage to young people, and that isn't true. not only, as was noted by your interviewer, did young people from private schools and smaller classes see a bigger proportion of as and a* grades, but we also saw the standard model, that downgrading process, was disproportionately harsh to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds with 10.4% fewer disadvantaged children having their grades maintained compared to 8.3% of children from more advantaged backgrounds will stop how nick gibb can come along and say the model did not treat children from already disadvantaged backgrounds more harshly i cannot understand. it is not true and it's not honest and utterly unfair to those young people. labour has said this is unlawful and is demanding the correspondence be published, but is that the most useful approach at this time? shouldn't the government be focused on sorting it out rather

than looking backwards and getting its correspondence out? are you at risk of being accused of using the misfortune of young people to make political capital? i don't think we are on this occasion. of course you are on this occasion. of course you are absolutely right that the first priority must be these young people and making sure they get their grades and move on to the next steps of their career or further studies and that's why we have said those grades must be issued and must be honoured so that a young person with their teacher assessed grades can qualify for a university place, that the standardisation model had denied them, they should now be able to get that place and it should be on offer to them. we have also said it's very important, and an urgent priority for the government to support the university and college sector who have been put in a really difficult position because they now don't really know which students are coming to them. they don't know the numbers so might have to take on more teaching staff or find more

accommodation. 0ther more teaching staff or find more accommodation. other universities mightfind accommodation. other universities might find they thought students last week who would come and study will now have better grades and go to another institution. the further and higher education sector is being put ina and higher education sector is being put in a very difficult position and ministers must step in to underpin and protect it. we can't have universities failing as a result of this government debacle. i agree with you, the first priority is to give these young people their grades, be clear about them being appealed if they are not happy because we still don't know how that appeals system will work. make sure they can get to the course or institution of their choice and make sure those institutions are protected. but that doesn't mean we will let ministers off the hook. i wa nt will let ministers off the hook. i want that correspondence that raised concerns about the algorithm to be put in the public domain and there needs to be the fullest enquiry of who knew what, when they knew it, what they did about it and why young people have been let down so badly. kate green, thank you. we can speak to megan sutton

and her father shawn. megan has done a btec in childcare with the view to becoming a primary school teacher — and is meant to be off to university halls in three weeks' time but has not received her grades. and you should have had them last week? i was meant to log onto my portal at 9am to get my results but u nfortu nately portal at 9am to get my results but unfortunately when i went... i found out about an hour later why there we re out about an hour later why there were no results there, because of the btecs. .. we are were no results there, because of the btecs... we are having were no results there, because of the btecs. .. we are having some glitches on this line. we will keep trying for a minute in the hope that it improves. can you tell me when you hope to get the results because you hope to get the results because you really need them urgently for your university admission, don't you? to progress on to university, but at the moment there is no timescale as to when i will get... how are you feeling? are you feeling

worried, angry, what's your overriding emotion today? stressed! and angry, yes, that no one is giving us any answers. and as a pa rent of giving us any answers. and as a parent of a young person going through this, what are your observations today? no one can give you any sort of timeline which i find absolutely disgraceful. they are going to be late and we will get them out to you at a certain time because that will ease some pressure or stress... i'm really sorry but we are having... we are not succeeding with this line. we will let it go for now and i hope we can fit you in later. all the very best in the meantime. andrew cropley is the principal at west nottinghamshire college in mansfield. we are hoping for a better line with

you! obviously a very difficult morning for a lot of young people but does it create not on problems for a college like yours? yes, but this is always a turbulent time for us and we always get lots of stu d e nts us and we always get lots of students turning up today, some are pleased with what they have got, some have got better than expected and some have done less well but we have the flexibility in our programme, we have a range of offers in the college that whatever the outcome today for young people, we can find the right programme for them and help them move forward to a great future. are you concerned about grade inflation? we have heard about grade inflation? we have heard a lot of discussion about this both in relation to gcses and a—levels and now indeed btecs as well.m presents a challenge but i think the critical thing is young people now have more choices and more opportunity than a week ago when it seemed a lot of them had far fewer,

soi seemed a lot of them had far fewer, so i would much rather be in a situation where we can make the best of this for every young person than have to try to fight their corner when they seem to have been let down so it's definitely the best outcome given where we were a few days ago. we will work with whatever we have got to manage our programme, use our resources , got to manage our programme, use our resources, for any students who want to come and study with us and make that the best possible experience. you say they appear to have been let down. there's a lot of finger pointing and blame game is going on. do you get involved with that and who do you think is responsible for the mess? we work with the association of colleges to share our views and try to help. i have said time and time again that this crisis, the whole coronavirus crisis, the whole coronavirus crisis, is a real opportunity to reflect on the relationship between colleges and government and work much more as a partnership and a provider relationship because i think... we understand the dynamics, the real implications of all these

things that have happened. we understand how that impacts individual students and i hope going forward we will quickly get into a conversation about the implications of all of this for the long term and making sure the funding is as dynamic as it can be, looking after our students who will be leaving us this time next year with lots of stu d e nts this time next year with lots of students seeming to have deferred places and the applications of what that might be. how we rebuild the apprenticeship offer as the economy recovers and so on. lots of things to think about in the medium term andi to think about in the medium term and i really hope the government and further education sector can work in true partnership to make sure we develop the right offer for all our young people. and if we have 16—year—old viewers right now and if they have possibly done less well than they hoped in their gcses or they are uncertain about their btec outcome, what would be your advice to them? i would say talk to your local further education college. if

you're in mansfield, ashfield, surrounding areas, talk to us and we will have a programme you can access that will offer you a great future and take you into a career that excites and rewards you. we turn almost no students away. we always find something for you, you will enjoy it and if you work hard at it then you will prosper and thrive. so talk to your college, they will be able help you. thank you, andrew, the principle of the west nottinghamshire college in mansfield. a prominent opposition leader in russia, alexei navalny, is in hospital with what his supporters say is suspected poisoning. in a series of tweets this morning, his spokeswoman, kira yarmysh, said that navalny was in intensive care, on a ventilator and in a coma. the spokeswoman added that the "evasive reaction of doctors" — who she said were not sharing information about navalny‘s condition — confirmed her belief that he had been poisoned.

and in another tweet she said that the intensive care unit was full of police officers. live to moscow and our correspondent sarah rainsford. is very worrying situation for all those supporters of alexei navalny. that's right. the doctor in the hospital in siberia where he is being treated has confirmed that he has indeed been hospitalised there, that he is in intensive care and unconscious and on a ventilator. he has not confirmed that mr navalny has not confirmed that mr navalny has been poisoned and he said there area number of has been poisoned and he said there are a number of theories being investigated and many tests are being done and doctors are excluding, ruling out diagnoses as they go along. but he said poisoning was one possibility that was being looked at by the team of doctors at the hospital there. it is certainly a theory that mr navalny‘s team have gone for, they believe he has been

poisoned. we spoke to kira yarmysh and she said he drank a cup of black tea at the airport today before getting on the plane, and she said that's all he had before he began to feel sick whilst on board the plane. she said that he came to her, was sweating and feeling ill, and he then collapsed at the back of the plane forced up we have seen a video filmed on the plane, where medics are on the plane attending to him. we can heargroaning are on the plane attending to him. we can hear groaning on that video, and we believe that to be mr navalny, before he was taken off the plane and taken to hospital. why would anyone want to poison mr navalny, and is poisoning a political tool in russia ? navalny, and is poisoning a political tool in russia? mr navalny, and is poisoning a politicaltool in russia? mr navalny is the most prominent face and voice of opposition here now in russia today. he is extremely critical of

the kremlin and his best—known work, if you like, is in anti corruption. he makes videos going after figures very close to the kremlin and exposing what he says are their corrupt activities, properties they own, businesses they have been involved in. he is also very active in supporting opposition candidates for elections. we understand his tea m for elections. we understand his team is currently trying to back opposition candidates to take on pro—kremlin candidates at local elections around the country, so he is extremely active, although he is never allowed on state television and the kremlin almost never even mentions his name but he is very active on social media and has a big following across the country so he is often described as a thorn in the side of the kremlin. and as such he isa side of the kremlin. and as such he is a prominent figure, so therefore there is a serious concern about what may or may not have happened to him. he has complained in the past and claimed he has been poisoned. he

was in police detention last summer for organising mass protests and he came out in a very heavy rash, his face was very swollen and he believed that was some sort of attempt to harm him although doctors attempt to harm him although doctors at the time said it was a severe allergic reaction. he himself says he doesn't have allergies and does not have allergic reactions.” he doesn't have allergies and does not have allergic reactions. i know you will keep us posted on developments, thank you from moscow, sarah raynsford. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol. quite a bit of sunshine especially in central and eastern areas, but for others, some heavy showers which could be thundery coming through northern ireland, and still gusty winds potentially in excess of 50 mph in some western areas. further east, breezy rather than window, with highs up to 26 in the sunshine, that will feel quite pleasant. through this evening and overnight, all this rain advances eastwards,

and taking with it some strong to gale force gusts of wind. it's not meant to be a cold night, temperatures falling between 12 and 17 celsius. tomorrow, we pick up this rain band, and it will be moving steadily northwards, eventually weakening as it does so, but tomorrow, the gusts of wind will be widespread, and they will be strong. we could even see gusts in excess of 40 or 50 mph across parts of the south—east. temperatures getting up to a high of 25. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines — more results chaos for hundreds of thousands of pupils as btec students are told they won't get their marks, just hours before they were due to be published. we are working very closely with ucas, with the independent regulator, and with the exam boards to make sure that no young person as disadvantaged as a consequence of

this delay. —— no young person is disadvantaged. this morning, gcse students will get their results after a government u—turn meant their marks will be based on teacher assessed grades. the russian opposition figure alexei navalny is unconscious in hospital with suspected poisoning. the anti—corruption campaigner fell ill during a flight. kamala harris is formally nominated asjoe biden's running mate in the us election. if the democrats win, she would be the first woman vice—president in american history. back to our top story, and teenagers in england, wales and northern ireland will get their gcse grades given by their schools this morning. btec students will have to wait for their results, which have been delayed because of concerns about fairness. 0ur education correspondent dan johnson is with teachers and pupils at a school in south—east london for us this morning.

a busy morning here, loads of stu d e nts a busy morning here, loads of students getting their results because they have been so keen to find out what this system, after so many changes, would actually deliver for them. the envelopes have been opened this morning with gcse results, lots of happy faces, lots of satisfied students, which is nice to see after the scenes we saw last week, so many a—level students disappointed with their results, which prompted a reversal in policy, a u—turn, and that is why these grades are not the standardised, calculated moderated groups delivered by algorithm, these are the grades agreed by teachers. that means most students are content, that means the overall pass rate in gcses this year is up on last year, up gcses this year is up on last year, up to 79%. the standardisation process supposed to be about limiting that race, but there is that little snag with btec results, which will be withheld for most stu d e nts which will be withheld for most students across the country while the awarding body checks they are

fair, because they are concerned about the disparity now between stu d e nts about the disparity now between students who got gcse and a—level results and those who have done vocational and technical courses. at this school, in some cases they are the same students, getting both gcses and btecs. it is just the case now that btec results will be reviewed and possibly upgraded, nobody will be downgraded from the further review of btec results. let's have a chat with the principle, how was it going? nice to see you. after a very unusual year, two very unusual results days, but great to see lots of happy students here today, who after two years of ha rd here today, who after two years of hard work, that hard work has paid off, they are walking away with the grades they deserve. but as i was on results day, some students are disappointed, but perhaps reflecting ona disappointed, but perhaps reflecting on a two years when they could have what harder than they did. and that is always the case on results days. the system that was in place, the standardisation and modernisation, would have counted against your

stu d e nts would have counted against your students at an academy like this, right? absolutely, certainly in the school two or three years of results which frankly have not been good enough. and over the last 12 months, this school has changed quite quickly, so that would have counted against our students, and certainly did last week with a—level results. we have not seen that this week with gcse results. how big a difference is that change made? certainly with our a—level students, that has been about 27% of grades adjusted last week, and given the change in direction for gcse results this week, we have not seen that same shift here today. so that was the right thing to do, even though it has caused further anxiety, disruption, confusion?” has caused further anxiety, disruption, confusion? i absolutely believe that is the case, because it has meant that students and schools like this one have walked away with the grades they deserve after, for them, a are of incredibly hard work. as every student got the grades they deserve? can we actually have faith

in this system after so much turmoil? i think we can, and we have been reassured from one of the awarding bodies yesterday that they will look further at btec grids over the next few days, and will also review the level three btec grades that a—level students received last week. so we can be reassured that stu d e nts week. so we can be reassured that students walk away with the grades that they deserve. and ultimately, those assessments have come from the teachers who have worked with these stu d e nts teachers who have worked with these students for the last two years, who perhaps know these students the best. how much of a spanner in the works is that late change to the btec results? you have had to give them out this morning, is that right? yes, we are a very big school and we have more than 300 students collecting results today. by the time we got the announcement early yesterday evening, all the preparation for today had been done. so we have issued the original btec results to students today, with reassurance that the awarding body are going to review those, which i think is the right decision, but should those grades be adjusted for students, those grades will only

increase. briefly, how do you think stu d e nts increase. briefly, how do you think students have coped with all these ups and downs? i think that certainly what has helped is the gcse students have felt far less anxious about today given the announcement earlier this week. weeks and weeks of uncertainty, not only for students, but for teachers as well, and it is great to see lots of happy students today. indeed. thank you for your time and letting us share that moment with the students. celebrations, things to achieve, still some questions and about the turmoil this year. but with so much disruption to learning this year, the added anxiety of the ups and downs through the working out of these grades, the students really have endured so much, and it is nice to see most of them smiling this morning. absolutely, thank you,

dan. and looking more nationally, gcse grades have surged as the overall picture after the u—turn, giving pupils results based on a teacher is' assessments. the proportion of gcse entries in england awarded top grades has surged to a record high. more than one in four, 20 5.9% gcse entries in england have scored one of the top three grades this year, 25.9% compared of the top three grades this year, 25. 9% compared to of the top three grades this year, 25.9% compared to 20.7 last year, figuresjust coming in 25.9% compared to 20.7 last year, figures just coming in from off call. and the proportion receiving the top grades, at least a seven or ana grade, the top grades, at least a seven or an a grade, record hype pass on available data following the decision to award grades on teacher

assessments not the algorithm. —— figuresjust coming in assessments not the algorithm. —— figures just coming in from 0fqual. more than three and four entries awarded at least a four or eight c grade in england, up eight .9 percentage points on last year, when 67.1% achieve those grades. —— up 8.9%. we will bring you some wisdom on that. right now, we are going to go to your questions answered. i'm joined now by grainne halla han from the times educational supplement. grainne was a secondary english teacherfor ten years, with experience of teaching gcse and a—level classes, as well as btec courses. why have the btec results been delayed, and what caused the delay?

yesterday we found out that results btec would not be released today. this is due to the fact that they wa nt to this is due to the fact that they want to bring those in line, so the gcse students today are receiving the higher grade out of the centre assessed one or the calculus grid from the exam board. for btecs, however, they did not make the same adjustment, which they are looking to do now. a release last night said they wanted to make sure there is consistency with the gcse, so btec stu d e nts consistency with the gcse, so btec students will get the results, we just don't know when. another question that now, why are btec stu d e nts question that now, why are btec students being treated differently toa students being treated differently to a level? but it sounds as if from what you're saying this is to try to treat them the same. it is to try to treat them the same. it is to try to treat them the same, but the confusing thing is that a—levels and gcses have the exams at the end of the course, there might be some coursework in the a—level, but there

is no reason why they btec should not have been more straight forward. we had exams coursework, there was plenty of evidence to judge their final grade. it should have been easier. so we are not sure why it has been so troubling for the btecs. another question, which i haven't seen before, regarding igcses, the international version, the question is, when the gcse results are revealed, will the third might be treated in the same manner? these are the independent sector's version, but i understand not set or checked by 0fqual. —— will the igcse be treated in the same manner? he is quite right, of the gcses and igcses are very different, and 0fqual make it very clear that they are not meant to be considered equivalent qualifications. igcses are already out, they will be —— we will not be

changed because they are not governed by 0fqual. changed because they are not governed by quual. this is a question from me, does that mean that they might suffer... is there a kind of standardised model used to measure them? the igcses are done com pletely measure them? the igcses are done completely separately, and they try to standardise their progress over time to make sure they do not have strangers with a sudden surge in grades. they want their qualifications to be reliable, they wa nt qualifications to be reliable, they want a top grade one year to be the same as a top grade the following year. —— they do not have strange yea rs. year. —— they do not have strange years. when employers, universities, colleges, look at these grades, they already know that the igcses is different from gcses. i imagine there might now be adjustments to there might now be adjustments to the igcse, but that is something com pletely the igcse, but that is something completely separate and something they would need to sort out.” suppose it underlines the way that all these different exam results impinge on each other, and for employers, if one sets changes the way it is governed or decided, that

really does have knock—on effects for how they compare the achievements of young people across the others. it is very difficult, and for employers, they always know that a gcse grade or an a—level grade or even a degree it tells you a small part about a person, but it will not ever tell you their whole story. so unless you are up—to—date with the latest education news, you might not be without groups from the fa ct we might not be without groups from the fact we have switched from gcse grades from being letters to be in numbers, and the new btecs obviously more vigorous than the old btecs full stop if you are thinking about employing a person or putting somebody onto a course, the grades a lwa ys somebody onto a course, the grades always tell you part of the story, but they won't ever tell you the full story. let's go back to questions from the audience. we'll gcse students have the choice of the hire of the algorithm grades, and the centrally assessed grade? ——

will gcse students have the choice of the higher grade? this is interesting, we thought they would be given both grades and they would choose between the higher one. then they made the decision that they will give them a book together, so they will never see what the downgraded grade would have been if they had been downgraded by the statistical model, which means that stu d e nts statistical model, which means that students will only ever see their highest grade. the grade they received today will be the higher out of their school grade, their centre assessed grade that their teachers and school leaders have come up with, and the grade that came out of the statistical model. now, that in itself is causing some problems, because from the statistical model, as we know from the a—levels, this is throwing up some anomalies, some grade thatjust don't seem to make sense. we have been hearing from school since yesterday that they have had insta nces yesterday that they have had instances of students being awarded very high grades despite the centre assessed grade, the one put forward by the teacher of the school, being quite low. a low grade might be because they did not complete the

whole course, they have had high levels of absence, but putting it through the statistical model, because there has been historically high grades at that school, that student now has a grid that is way higher in some cases, then what would be realistic. for example, one student awarded a u great because they had been absent since the start of the course, has been upgraded to grades like grade nine, and the schoolmaster appeal. it might sound like a wonderful surprise to get on gcse results day, practically moving forward , gcse results day, practically moving forward, that is not a helpful thing to give to a child. —— the school now has to appeal. does that explain why we are seeing some increased grades, a surge in higher grades that we mentioned a moment ago? this is absolutely contribute towards it. so what we have is a system that was never meant to exist. when the teachers put forward their calculated grades, the centre assessed grades, it was never

intended just to be used on its own. schools and centres were well aware that these grades were going to be moderated down by 0fqual, that was a lwa ys moderated down by 0fqual, that was always the plan. so what we have now area always the plan. so what we have now are a mixture of calculator to grades using a statistical model, and the teacher grades, the centre assessed grades, which means we have got higher than ever inflation, which was the exact opposite of what we we re which was the exact opposite of what we were trying to do in this whole process. which brings me to another question, how should employers treat the teacher assessed grades when employing people compared to previous years? as an employer, i am concerned that this year's grades arejust a concerned that this year's grades are just a best guess by a teacher as opposed to an actual exam grade. i really feel for him, because i can see exactly what he means. when we are comparing students year by year, you want to be able to have consistency. a grade four in english means a grade four, because this

year we have doubts because of the process used. you need to look at all of the results, take it as part of the picture, and asjohn would know, when you are employing somebody, you interview them, lots of employers have their own tests they give to candidates. it is a much more thorough process than that just looking at the grades. grainne, thatis just looking at the grades. grainne, that is all we have time for, but thank you so much forjoining us for your questions answered. thank you. tanisha sethi and her mum anu join us from ickenham in west london. tanisha is reciving her gcse grades this morning after being assessed by teachers at her school. tanisha, have you got the results? is it all good news? yeah, i have taken it is pretty much good news. i

think some of the subjects, i could have done better in if i set the actual exam, but on the whole, i am really ha p py actual exam, but on the whole, i am really happy with what i've got. —— taken it as good news. for you, is the anxiety as they worry, as that's now over, do you know what you're going to do next, and have you got the results that will enable you to do what you want to do next? yeah, the anxiety is completely over, i was so nervous this morning, but i just feel a weight lifted from my shoulders. i've completely got my grades for what i want to do next, i wa nt to grades for what i want to do next, i want to go to sixth next, and that is where i be going. and are you at all worried that all this time out of school because of the covid—19 social distancing, that that will make it hard to make the step up to a level in sixth form college, or are you fairly confident?” a level in sixth form college, or are you fairly confident? i think i am more worried about the fact that because we did not set those exams, iam not because we did not set those exams, i am not going to have the practice in the knowledge and the exam technique that i would have gained

from sitting gcses, and it will be a lot harder to make a start on a—levels. lot harder to make a start on a-levels. anu, can we have a word with you about all of this? what has your experience of being a mother of somebody going through all of this been? essentially, it was quite a worry to find out what had happened la st worry to find out what had happened last week with the results. there was the added pressure of, will she get the results to actually going to do the a—levels that she wants? but, when i was speaking to one of your colleagues yesterday, the most important thing for me was that she actually gets to do the a—levels that she wants to do, because she has got two years to prove herself. yes, a lot of children did not get to sit their exams this year, but they are lucky in some ways because they are lucky in some ways because they can actually bring that up the next two years, and whatever career

path they decide to take, so i think thatis path they decide to take, so i think that is the most important thing. and from what we are hearing today, a lot of those children are quite happy with the results they have received, and that is what should count going forward. and so are you relieved this morning? is that your primary emotion? honestly, for both my children, it has always been the fa ct my children, it has always been the fact that they should be happy with the results that they've got. to ta ke the results that they've got. to take them when they want to be. and i think, since tanisha is... take them when they want to be. and ithink, since tanisha is... she take them when they want to be. and i think, since tanisha is... she was very disappointed for certain subjects, but i think in the end, she has now realised that it is not a bad thing, so i am extremely happy with how she has done. i am very happy for her to be able to going to do exactly what subjects she wants to do. well, anu and tanisha, thank you so much for talking to us, and

tanisha, all the very best in sixth form. thank you so much. the united states has told the british government that it won't seek the death penalty for two members of the islamic state group if they're convicted of killing western hostages in iraq and syria. the assurance means uk officials could share evidence with prosecutors in the us for any potential case against the men. alexanda kotey and el shafee el—sheikh have already been stripped of their british citizenship. lets talk to our security correspondent, frank gardner. how significant is this offer from the us, or promise from the us?m how significant is this offer from the us, or promise from the us? in a way, it doesn't necessarily change anything, because it comes with the condition, the condition is that the uk must share all the evidence, the crucial evidence that it has gathered on these two men so that they can be effectively prosecuted in the us. the problem here is that the supreme court in britain has

upheld a legal challenge by the mother of one of the two men, which is that it is against international practice, because they would be, at the time, they would be subject to a potential death penalty. now, unless the uk can overcome that legal hurdle, the us has said that by the middle of october, if nothing has been resolved, they will hand the two men over to the iraqi government, where they would likely face a very swift trial and historically recently, a lot of those trials have ended in execution. so ironically, her challenge could even end up potentially in a worse fate for the men. this is not what the next of kin want, so the next of kin of the murdered hostages that the men are accused of being involved in, they wa nt to accused of being involved in, they want to see them on trial, they don't want to see the death penalty, they want to see them face trial in they want to see them face trial in the united states with all the

evidence. thanks for the expedition of what is going on there. —— explanation. kamala harris has accepted her nomination as the us democratic party's vice—presidential candidate — becoming the first black woman to do so. speaking at the party convention, she accused president trump of turning tragedies into political weapons. 0ur correspondent david willis has more. hey, everybody, it's me, kamala. so before i go on stage later tonight, i want to talk about the importance of voting. prior to bringing down the curtain on an historic night, kamala harris appeared briefly to appeal to democrats to vote. i think we need to ask ourselves, why don't they want us to vote? why is there so much effort to silence our voices? and the answer is because, when we vote, things change. unusual though it is for former presidents to attack an incumbent, this week they've almost been lining up. first bill clinton. now barack 0bama.

a withering attack delivered in the birthplace of us democracy — philadelphia — in which the 44th occupant of the oval office warned the future of american democracy was on the line. donald trump hasn't grown into thejob — because he can't. and the consequences of that failure are severe. kamala harris is my auntie. my stepmom. my big sister. kamala harris' sister, niece and stepdaughter jointly introduced the first black woman to appear on a major party ticket. i accept your nomination for vice president of the united states of america. accepting her party's nomination as vice president, kamala harris warned that america stood at a criticaljuncture, with the presidential election just 75 days away. in this election, we have a chance to change the course of history. we're all in this fight —

you, me and joe — together. what an awesome responsibility. democrats hope kamala harris will add energy to the presidential ticket, and inspire particularly african—americans and younger voters to get out to the polls. their convention culminates withjoe biden's acceptance speech tomorrow night. david willis, bbc news, los angeles. some breaking news. 0ne some breaking news. one in eight of the uk workforce remain on furlough. more on that in the next hour. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol. some high overnight, and first thing this morning, and we will continue in the same through the course of the day, with gusty winds in the west. further east, it will be

breezy, and further east as well, more likely to see sunny spells. we have the rain continuing to push north across scotland, eventually clearing the northern isles. a lot of dry weather, a few showers coming in from the west, but the heaviest will be across northern ireland going through the afternoon. and some of those could also be thundery. in terms of wind gust, we are still looking at gusts in excess of 50 mph, particularly so in western areas. that will have an adverse effect on the temperature, of course, but as we push further east in the sunshine, just a breeze, looking at highs of 26, which will feel quite warm. 0vernight tonight, still a lot of dry weather, but the rain already in the west will be drifting further east. this is an area of low pressure with storm ellen embedded in it, and if you look at the isobar is spreading brightly across the uk, that the stronger winds will notjust be in the west, they will be travelling further east. and as well as that, we have got the screen. the environment agency are warning for

the potential for some coastal flooding across parts of south wales, parts of the south—west of england, and the south coast. so not a nice combination, with temperatures tonight fallen as low as 15 to 17 celsius. so fairly mild. tomorrow sees the band of rain pushing northwards and is turning my salary as it does so. it will be a gusty day whatever you are. these gusts are strong enough to cause a bit of damage, such as travel disruption, damage small trees, that could be some debris on the roads. and temperatures 16 to 25 celsius. in between the showers, there will be some sunshine. from friday to saturday, low pressure bringing all of this, will continue to drift northwards. the wind tomorrow veers northwards. the wind tomorrow veers north westerly, and you can see the isobars starting to space out. on saturday, still quite windy, the gusts are still quite strong, but they will not be as strong as in the next couple of days. and temperature rise, we are looking at 14 in the north to 22 celsius in the south,

the wind easing on sunday.

this is bbc news, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. there's been a steep rise in gcse grades in england, wales and northern ireland — pupils have been receiving them after a uk government u—turn means marks are now based on teacher assessments. meanwhile, chaos for hundreds of thousands of pupils as btec students are told they won't get their marks, just hours before they were due to be published. we are working very closely with ucas, with the independent regulator and the exam boards to make sure no young person is disadvantaged as a consequence of this delay. the russian opposition figure alexei navalny is unconscious in hospital with suspected poisoning. the anti—corruption campaigner fell ill during a flight. kamala harris is formally nominated as joe biden's running