Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. I'd like to start by paying tribute to all of our young people. Their lives, perhaps more than any of ours, have been turned upside down by lockdown. They've not seen their friends, they've had their usual routines taken away, they've had to get used to different ways of learning, of living and of being, and those doing exams this year have had a particular set of worries, and while I'm glad the UK had a common approach with teacher assessments, I see that other countries carried on with the examinations that were scheduled, either in whole or in part. I am deeply concerned that students across the UK this year didn't get the education to which they are entitled and didn't have the satisfaction of completing exams that they had prepared for for a year or more. I do, though, have grave concerns about an early decision on teacher assessments for 2021, although I acknowledge that this year's situation across the UK must not be repeated.

The focus of my remarks today will be on standards. I understand that the Minister will be making an announcement before or during half-term week about plans for exams for summer 2021, and yet, in England, they say they intend to run exams, maybe later and maybe amended, but there is a clear signal that they will go ahead. So, I would like to express my serious concerns about the reduction in the A-level gold standard in Wales if no exams take place next year and they do go ahead in England. This may lead to inevitable discrepancies in rigour, parity of esteem, level of demand and the standard of Wales's A-levels, and they may be perceived by UCAS, Russell Group universities and future employers to be of a lower standard than those taken by students in England. These are serious implications if Welsh students apply to English universities in particular, and there is a very real risk that their submissions to higher education institutions will suffer as a result of perceived lower A-level standards in Wales compared to A-level students in England.

I can foresee a time when we become comfortable with teacher assessments and sleepwalk into a situation where exams are left in the past. I read today that Philip Blaker of Qualifications Wales suggests a performance experience—a phrase that, at this point, I would suggest will hardly instil confidence in anyone with an interest in this subject. I think that that would be a slippery slope. Higher and further education will probably involve some sort of exam process, and Welsh learners will be greatly disadvantaged. I also have real worries about educational standards. Let's remember that Welsh education lags behind the rest of the UK, certainly according to PISA, so I fear that the necessary rigour to give Welsh kids any chance of competing with their peers across the UK will certainly be lost. And how will we know, and how can we give assurance to employers and higher education establishments that a Welsh education is at the same level as that of other UK nations and/or the rest of the world if we move away from an accepted examination process that allows for some sort of comparison?

I certainly agree with your point on broadband. It's 2020, and yet still areas of Wales, including my own, suffer dreadful broadband speeds. We hear stories of people standing by windows and walking down the road. I've had to do that myself. Broadband really does need to be prioritised as the next utility for learners, and all of us.

It is a matter of deep regret to me, and should be to everyone in this Chamber, that Wales's education standards lag behind the rest of the UK, let alone the world, according to PISA. I fear that any moves to move away from a system of exams to 'a performance experience' will compound any negative connotations around Welsh education.

As is often the case with Plaid motions for debate, this one just asks for too much and stretches the boundaries of devolution by stepping into welfare, so I'm not able to support it as a whole. Some of the points in this motion are certainly in the 'nice to have' bracket; however, parents and learners should still have a choice to learn through the medium of Welsh or not. The Conservative amendments do appear to be more grounded in reality, so I will be supporting those today. Thank you.