The body that awards BTecs has said students will now get their results as late as Friday next week, after pulling the original results that were due on Thursday amid doubts over the flawed algorithm used to decide grades. Around half a million students were informed less than 24 hours before their grades were due out that they would not receive their BTec results this week. Pearson, which owns the Business and Technology Education Council, which awards the qualifications, announced on Wednesday that it would use internal assessments and marks to set the final results for each course, meaning many young people could be awarded higher grades. The exam board made the decision to review the grading of their level 1-3 BTec qualifications following Ofqual’s announcement that A-level and GCSE students would receive grades based on their teachers’ estimates. A spokeswoman for Pearson said on Friday that it had “now written to colleges to confirm that all eligible results will be available by 28 August”. Students awaiting grades for university entry were being prioritised and would receive their results from Tuesday onwards, the exam board said. “We know this has caused frustration and additional uncertainty for students, and we are truly sorry. No grades will go down as part of this review,” the exam board added. King Edward VI Balaam Wood academy in Birmingham said it had been assured by Pearson that the BTec sport and performing arts results would be issued by 28 August and “as soon as we receive them, they will be emailed to pupils”. Teachers in England had complained that the algorithm used by Pearson penalised high-achieving students, and made it more likely that they would be treated harshly in the external assessments that replaced exams. Several schools and teachers contacted the Guardian to say that because of the flaws, a substantial number of their pupils had received lower grades than their internal assessments had suggested and were in danger of missing out on university places.