Southborough sixth form student Mithushan Thiagarajah has been interviewed on Newsnight.

The A-level student at the high school in Hook Road, Surbiton, is one among thousands across the country who have had their predicted results downgraded under a new assessment system which had been introduced after exams were scrapped because of the coronavirus crisis.

Mithushan, who had been expected to achieve four A*s by his teachers, has had his results downgraded to one A* and three As – which is outstanding in anyone’s book but not enough for Caius College, Cambridge, which had originally offered him a place to study medicine. Unfortunately the college has now withdrawn its offer.

“No one has ever gone to Cambridge in my school,” a crushed Mithushan, pictured, told Newsnight policy editor Lewis Goodall. “My school was hopeful that I would be the first one to go there.

“I wanted to make them proud; that’s why I kept working hard. I wanted to make everyone who believed in me proud – my parents, my school, and most importantly myself.

“I believed in myself; I knew I could get those grades if I actually did the exams.”

The government has faced a backlash after exam boards moderated predicted results using an algorithm based on schools’ and colleges’ previous performances.

It resulted in 39.1 per cent of grades being lowered from teachers’ predictions with 35.6 per cent lowered one grade, 3.3 per cent dropping by two grades and 0.2 per cent by three grades.

Educators have accused the system of ‘baked-in bias’.

Southborough’s sixth form administrator Sue Taylor said the external standardisation process appears to have hit students at fully comprehensive state schools the hardest.

“Understandably, the school will be doing everything it possibly can to rectify this appalling situation,” she said. “And of course, Mithushan isn’t the only student who has been hit hard by the system.

“Our Senior Leadership Team are 100 per cent committed to doing right by ALL our students – including Mithushan – and will be doing EVERYTHING it can to support them in getting the results they have worked so hard to achieve and deserve.”

Headteacher Niall Smith added: “We are all extremely proud of our students’ achievements, which go far beyond mere grades. This year’s cohort have displayed sublime resilience in the face of extremely difficult and stressful circumstances. They will go on to achieve great things!”