Grammar schools in the UK need to rethink their policy on withholding exam results, particularly in the 11+ selection process. While it's understandable that schools want to keep test papers confidential, there's no valid reason to deny parents access to the answer sheets — especially when the test is in multiple-choice format.
Providing parents with a copy of their child’s completed MCQ answer sheet, along with a version showing the correct answers, would allow families to verify whether errors were due to genuine mistakes, misalignment (like skipping a row), or something else entirely. This simple level of transparency wouldn’t compromise the integrity of the test, yet it would offer reassurance and accountability.
Parents deserve the opportunity to understand how their children performed — not just a result, but a reason. Grammar schools should make this change.