Levels A and GCSEs exams postponed to July

Next year's exams may be postponed until July to give students more time to prepare, ministers suggested. It is understood that Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, is considering postponing the May date after consultation with Ofqual, the examiner.

The work required a delay because the students missed five months of class. "Students from all over the country who have lost a vital amount of teaching time will have a mountain to climb to prepare for the May exams unless the government intervenes," said Kate Green, the parallel education secretary. "Ministers were alerted after warning of problems with this year's exam results, but they allowed it to fall into a fiasco.