DOZENS of heartbroken students have written to a Bolton MP after receiving lower than expected A-level results.

The majority of Bolton schools and The Sixth Form College Bolton are to appeal after some students’ grades were downgraded and say they are waiting for further guidance through this "period of confusion”.

Exams were cancelled due to the coronavirus with students getting results based on their tutors' predicted grades.

Bolton South East MP Yasmin Qureshi has called on the Government to take action to address the exam crisis which has “destroyed the futures” of many students.

Headmistress of Bolton School girls’ division, Sue Hincks said: “Our hearts go out to all students who have lost out on university or apprenticeship places because their centre assessment grades ­have been downgraded during this period of confusion.

“We are looking at the grounds for appeal and waiting for the most recent iteration of these so that we can support any girls who have missed out on a grade and who may benefit from an appeal on their behalf.”

Ms Qureshi said: “The Government has behaved disgracefully. They are aware of the injustice done to students and seem unwilling to do anything about it.

“I have had tonnes of letters from students heartbroken at receiving their results and it is not their fault.”

Almost 40 per cent of the grades put forward by teachers were downgraded by one or more grades by the controversial algorithm, which, among other measures, took into account results of previous years.

And young people ­— including a number in Bolton ­—set to appeal on the basis on their mock grades were suddenly left with not information after exams regulator withdrew its guidance on how to do so on Saturday.

Ms Qureshi said that state-schools were unfairly disadvantaged by the system and teachers were best placed to assess their students.

She said: “I am disgusted with what is happening, even senior Tories are calling for action to be taken.

“Should we judge Ministers on the basis of their predecessors?

“Universities select applicants on their predicted grades and I am pleased that some colleges at Oxford University are doing this.

“The criteria keeps changing, the Scottish Government took action and here it has been made so worse.

“It seems like they do not know what they are doing and students feel like their futures have been destroyed.

“We have GCSE results on Thursday and who knows what will happen then, universities look at GCSE grades.”

Cllr Martin Donaghy, children’s spokesman for Bolton Labour Group, said: “No one knows the student better than the teachers, and they can provide evidence to back up their predicted grades.

“This debacle could be resolved if their was the political will to do so, which there doesn’t seem to be at the moment.

“This is an extremely worrying time for young people, who are being unfairly judged by an algorithm.

“Northern Ireland has said that grades will be awarded on teacher predictions on Thursday and Scotland came out and did the same for A-levels. We are talking about the future of a whole generation."