Exam board 'pressed by Ofqual to alter GCSE grades' Leaked letter shows Ofqual urged the exam board to alter GSCE English grade boundaries two weeks before the results were published. Photograph: David Davies/PA Ofqual urged an exam board to alter its GCSE English grade boundaries two weeks before the results were published. Leaked letters show the regulator wrote to Edexcel amid concerns that there would be a rise in the number of C grades, calling on the board to act quickly to produce results closer to predictions for the subject. The board responded a day later saying it believed its proposed grade awards were "fair" and that there was no justification for further changes. As details of the letters were revealed, Ofqual's chief regulator, Glenys Stacey, faced a call to resign. John Townsley, a head teacher and former Ofqual board member, said Stacey's position had become untenable. "We can see, in the most certain terms possible, Ofqual applying immense pressure to the awarding body concerned in order to bring down the number of C grades awarded," he said. Glenys Stacey should resign. But Ofqual said that the letters to and from Edexcel were "entirely proper," and were part of the regulator's work to ensure that standards are maintained, and comparable with previous years. Meanwhile, it emerged that hundreds of pupils in Wales are expected to receive higher GCSE English grades after the education minister demanded their papers be regraded, in stark contrast to England. Leighton Andrews said Welsh pupils had been victims of an "injustice" following the row over sutdents being awarded lower grades than expected last month. The Edexcel correspondence, seen by the Times Educational Supplement (TES), is the latest twist in the GCSE English row, which broke out last month, and comes as Stacey is due to give evidence to MPs. According to the letters, Ofqual's director of standards, Dennis Opposs, wrote to Edexcel on 7 August with concerns that the board was set to award results which would mean the proportion of pupils awarded a C grade would be eight percentage points higher than predicted. It called on the board to act quickly to "produce outcomes that are much closer to the predictions," adding: "This may require you to move grade boundary marks further than might normally be required." Edexcel replied the next day, two weeks before national GCSE results were published on 23 August. In its letter the awarding body warns that the grade predictions cited by Ofqual, which are based on pupils' Sats results at age 11, "can only be, at best, an indicator of performance." Other factors such as changes in the year group and the new, modular exams system also have to be taken into account. Edexcel concludes: "We believe this to be compelling evidence that our award is a fair award and we do not believe a further revision of our grade boundaries is justified." It adds that if Ofqual still wants an alteration, the board could move the minimum requirement for a C grade for one of the English units up to 65 marks out of 96 - 10 marks higher than in January when it stood at 55. Ofqual replied on August 9, with a letter from Opposs that stated Edexcel was obliged to ensure its results were consistent with other awarding bodies, whose results were close enough to predictions. "It is for you to decide how that is achieved," the letter says. This article was amended on Tuesday 11 September to include information about pupils in Wales expected to receive higher GCSE English grades, which was missing from an earlier version of the story.