Last year, 45.8% of estimated grades provided by schools matched the student's final results.
Schools had been asked to give predicted grades but then other data was used by exams body CCEA to standardise the results.
Standardisation aims to prevent a situation where a school could give all of its pupils unrealistically high marks.
On Tuesday morning, Mr Weir said GCSEs taken with exams body CCEA - which provides about 97% of GCSE exams in Northern Ireland - would be not be subject to standardisation.
CCEA said it welcomed the minister's decision on GCSEs.
"We will work immediately to implement this decision, with GCSE results published on Thursday 20 August 2020," it said.
Following the cancellation of exams in March, CCEA was instructed by Mr Weir to ensure the calculated results in 2020 were broadly in line with performance in recent years.
CCEA asked teachers to give a predicted grade for their pupils and then rank them in order within their class.
It then used other data to standardise the results. For A-levels, the model used pupils' AS-level results and resit data.
By Sunday night, representatives from all parties had signed an SDLP motion, representing Sinn Féin, the Ulster Unionists, Alliance, People Before Profit, the Green Party, Traditional Unionist Voice and independent MLAs Claire Sugden, Trevor Lunn and Jim Wells, who no longer holds the DUP whip.
Speaker Alex Maskey agreed the assembly would meet on Tuesday to debate the issue, although this was decided prior to Mr Weir's U-turn.
A-level and GCSE students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be handed exam grades as predicted by their teachers instead of a controversial algorithm.
The move marks a stark U-turn by both Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, and comes after growing fury from pupils and Tory MPs about the handling of the results crisis.
Ministers have been coming under pressure for several days over the system to grade students whose exams were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Image:Some pupils have called for Gavin Williamson to be sacked
In England, nearly 40% of A-level marks were downgraded, while the system also appeared to advantage private schools, which saw nearly double the number of increase in top marks year-on-year compared to state comprehensives.
The controversial algorithm led to heartbreaking stories from pupils missing out on places based on the performance of their school over recent years.
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Sky News heard from those like Holly Barber, an 18-year-old from Bradford who was downgraded from A, A, A to B, C, E who told Sky News "the government have completely ruined a lot of kids' futures".
Image:Exams were cancelled due to the pandemic
Scotland was the first nation to scrap the moderated grades and let students have what they were predicted by teachers.
The head of exam regulator Ofqual, Roger Taylor, said the change was made after "seeing the experience" of students' "distress" and "anxiety".
"We realised that we had taken the wrong road here and we needed to change course," he admitted.
"It became very clear to us that this was not commanding public support."
The revised A-level results will be loaded into UCAS' systems "by the end of this week", Mr Taylor promised, but he did not deny that for some students who accepted offers based on the lower results they got last Thursday, it may be too late.
He also confirmed the change does not apply to BTEC exam results.
Mr Johnson had defended the system last week, saying it was "robust" and "dependable".
His spokesman also said on Monday that: "Ofqual continues to have the support of the PM."
However some have raised concerns about scrapping any form of moderation - including Ofqual, which said last week it was needed given some "generous" initial assessments that predicted "implausibly" high grades.
Mr Williamson, who only has jurisdiction for education in England given it is a devolved matter, told Sky News last week that there would be no U-turn.
Asked if he could rule it out, the education secretary said: "Absolutely, when we've consulted widely, when Ofqual consulted widely [on] the whole system of awarding, this is the message that we got from everyone - this is the right approach to go forward.
"You've got to have a system that has checks and balances, that looks at the whole performance and making sure you maintain standards within the exam system, to ensure those results carry credibility."
Pupils in Mr Williamson's South Staffordshire constituency angry at the situation marched from their high school to his office on Monday.
They carried placards saying "sack Gavin", "your algorithm doesn't know me" and "stop playing postcode politics".
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The Scottish Government last week decided to upgrade exams results there, accepting teacher estimates of scores, following an outcry.
In Wales, a total of 42% of A-level grades predicted by teachers had been lowered when results were published last week, after they had been processed by an algorithm.
The change to accept teacher estimates also affects AS-levels, skills challenge certificates and the Welsh Baccalaureate.
But students who received higher grades than those predicted by teachers will keep them.
Poppy Stowell-Evans, 16, had been very anxious waiting for her GSCE results this Thursday.
The Llanwern High School student wants to stay on at her Newport school's sixth form, and had worried that results from previous years might have had a negative impact on hers.
She told BBC Wales: "I feel very relieved. I think this way it will be much fairer and I think it shows the Welsh Government trust in our education system and the educators who have taught us all throughout our high school experience, and really know what we are capable of.
"I was incredibly concerned, partly because it was completely out of my control and partly because I didn't feel it was just for an algorithm that has never seen any of my work, never seen me in school, never seen my potential, to judge what grades I would be eligible for. And that really scared me."
Ms Williams said that "given decisions elsewhere, the balance of fairness now lies with awarding centre assessment grades to students, despite the strengths of the system in Wales".
The Lib Dem minister, serving in the Labour Welsh Government, promised an independent review of the events "following the cancellation of this year's exams".
Last week's results were produced by an algorithm designed to ensure grades were "as fair as possible" and consistent with previous years.
But it was criticised for producing unfair grades for individual students.
Plaid Cymru education spokeswoman Sian Gwenllian said the announcement was "seriously overdue" and called for a "full investigation into this debacle".
"The Welsh Government should apologise to students, teachers and schools for what they've put them through over the past few weeks," she said.
Suzy Davies, education spokeswoman for Welsh Conservatives, welcomed the education minister's review.
"It is reassuring that the minister has listened to the Welsh Conservatives and other parties in the Welsh Parliament, but especially pleasing that she heard the voices of young people up and down the country," she added.
The momentum building against the A-level grading mechanism made this climbdown look inevitable even before it was announced.
So why did it take ministers so long to get there?
Kirsty Williams and other cabinet colleagues had nailed their colours to the "robustness" of the system in Wales - the implication being that it was more credible than other parts of Britain because actual exam results (the AS levels) were factored in here, unlike elsewhere.
But as the inboxes of members of the Senedd filled with tales of individual injustices against students who will have the vote for the first time in next year's Senedd elections, that position became unsustainable - especially with GCSE results looming fast.
Celebrity photographer Dean Freeman pays tribute to his 'beautiful and 'bright' autistic son, 10, after his ex-wife was charged with the boy's murder at her £544,000 Acton flat
Olga Freeman, who lives at the property, is charged with the murder of Dylan, 10, after he was found dead
Photographer Dean Freeman, known for his celebrity pictures, is his father and said he was 'my world'
Mr Freeman is famous for his images of David Beckham and the Spice Girls as well as singer Michael Bublé
His late father Robert Freeman died last year and took iconic photographs of music legends The Beatles
Police visited the house in west London after a woman went to a police station in the early hours of Sunday
There in Acton police officers discovered the dead body of the child as neighbours told of shock
The celebrity photographer father of a disabled 10-year-old found murdered at home said today 'I can't begin to comprehend his loss' - as the boy's mother appeared in court accused of killing him.
Dean Freeman said son Dylan was a 'beautiful, bright, inquisitive and artistic child' and he had cherished every moment they had spent together.
His divorced wife Olga Freeman, 40, appeared in Uxbridge Magistrates Court this afternoon charged with the boy's murder.
Mr Freeman is currently in Spain and his representative said when he heard the shocking and heart-breaking news he was 'beyond devastated'.
They added: 'He was a loving and caring father and even though divorced for a number of years, he cherished all the quality time spent with his son'.
In a statement, Mr Freeman added: 'Dylan was a beautiful, bright, inquisitive and artistic child who loved to travel, visit art galleries and swim. We travelled extensively over the years together spending such memorable time in places including Brazil, France and Spain. I can't begin to comprehend his loss.'
The representative continued: 'Dean has been touched by the messages of support he's received from friends and asks that the media respects his and his family's privacy at this awful time.'
Mrs Freeman was charged after a woman walked into a police station in the early hours of Sunday to speak to officers.
Police then found Dylan dead at the family home in Cumberland Park, Acton, west London. Mrs Freeman appeared in court today to only answer her name before being told to appear at the Old Bailey on Wednesday.
Neighbours said the youngster - who had severe autism - had to use a wheelchair, had a number of disabilities and was unable to speak.
His father Mr Freeman is renowned in the photography world for his candid pictures of stars, including David Beckham and the Spice Girls.
He is the son of Robert Freeman, responsible for some music's most iconic album covers, including The Beatles' Rubber Soul masterpiece.
Olga Freeman hold the arm of her son Dylan, 10, in the Barbican performing arts centre in London at an event in 2018
Olga Freeman, 40, with her well-known celebrity photographer husband Dean Freeman, who has pictured David Beckham
Olga Freeman, 40, appeared in Uxbridge Magistrates Court charged with the murder of her son Dylan, ten, this afternoon
Police at the property today still have the flat cordoned off after Olga Freeman was arrested over the murder of her son Dylan
Mrs Freeman, who is originally from Moscow, is registered as living in the property, which has an estimated value of £544,000.
Dylan is understood to have lived with his mother. Officers have not confirmed the child's identity and are still awaiting formal identification.
A neighbour said they had been told she and Mr Freeman had now separated.
In 2011 he credited his wife and son in a book by singer Michael Buble, showing behind the scenes glimpses of the American multi-million.
He said: 'Love to my amazing wife Olga and son Dylan. You are my world.'
A police officer was seen somberly standing in the doorway of the property on Cumberland Park in Acton
A woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after Dylan, 10, was found dead at a west London property
Forensic teams arrive to the scene in Acton, West London, where 10-year-old boy was discovered dead
Robert Freeman: The man who pictured The Beatles
Renowned photographer Robert Freeman
Robert Freeman was one of the music’s best-known photographers and died of pneumonia last year aged 82.
He was most famous for his pictures of the Beatles and shot them for their albums Rubber Soul and A Hard Day’s Night.
In his book The Beatles: A Private View, he explained how their look had come about and the thinking behind their appearance.
He said: “They came down at midday wearing their black polo-necked sweaters. It seemed natural to photograph them in black-and-white wearing their customary dark clothes. It gave unity to the image.’
Other portraits of big names, included stars Muhammad Ali, Penélope Cruz and Andy Warhol.
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Dylan was named in publicly available court details released this morning.
Rakesh Shukla told MailOnline that he helped care for Dylan last year but had to give up the job as he found it too demanding.
Mr Shukla, 25 who lives in Acton, West London said: ‘‘He had a lot of disabilities, couldn’t speak and was prone to sudden outbursts, when he’d start kicking his arms and legs and throwing things around.'
He added: ‘My work involved taking him out to the park for a couple of hours so that Olga could have some time to herself. I only did it about three or four times, but it was too much for me so had to tell her that I couldn’t continue. I found it very stressful so I can’t imagine what it must have been like for her.
‘I only saw her last week and she looked really drained and tired.'
Another neighbour, who lives opposite the crime scene, said she would often see a little boy leaving the property in a specially adapted van.
Gillian Fisher, 34, said: “I don’t know who the family were but if the little boy is who I think he is, I used to see him being taken to school in his wheelchair in a specially adapted van."
Neighbour Abby Gorton, who earlier spoke to detectives at length, said lockdown had made things difficult.
She said: 'It's a tragedy. She was in a desperate situation and lockdown has made it more desperate.
'He was a very very severely disabled child and she had no help.
'He was very autistic, he didn't speak, he would only scream and flail.
'I always felt terribly sorry for her and should've done more to help her.
'I barely saw her with any other adults, any other help - and in lockdown nothing.'
Reverend Nick Jones, 61, the rector of Acton, who lives on Cumberland Park, said news of the boy's death was 'shattering'.
He said: 'I'm still shaking a bit, it's hugely upsetting.'
Another neighbour said he was 'in shock' and that police cars and a private ambulance arrived at the scene at around 2.30am on Sunday.
Next of kin have been informed and detectives from Specialist Crime are investigating.
A post-mortem examination will be arranged in due course.
Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to call the incident room on 020 8721 4205.
It comes just days after a man in his 20s was shot dead by a hooded gunman on the doorstep of his £500,000 northwest London home - the 78th murder this year in the capital.
Armed officers swooped on Hansel Road, Kilburn, in the early hours of August 13 after reports of a shooting.
Neighbours say they heard 'several gunshots' before two hooded men were seen fleeing the scene in a car, whose driver had been waiting nearby.
A member of the forensic team arrives to the scene in Acton as a murder investigation is launched
Next of kin have been informed and detectives from Specialist Crime are investigating
LONDON MURDERS 2020
Where the 79 murders across the capital this year have happened
When police arrived they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound near to a block of flats - where forensic teams have today been seen collecting evidence.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene, despite efforts by paramedics to save him.
He was later named as 26-year-old Jeffrey Wegbe who lived in Brent.
His family said: 'Our beloved Jeffrey was killed on Wednesday morning in what can only be described as a senseless violent attack.
'Understandably, we are distraught by the news and ask that you keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.
'We would also like to say a huge thank you to the family, police and wider community for all their support.'
WHERE THE 79 MURDERS IN LONDON DURING 2020 HAVE BEEN COMMITTED
Boris Johnson has "confidence" in his education secretary and the English exams regulator despite chaos over A-level and GCSE results.
Downing Street said the prime minister spoke to Gavin Williamson and other officials on the phone from his holiday in Scotland on Monday morning about the issue.
Number 10 added the government was trying to "come up with the fairest system possible", after complaints from pupils and Tory MPs about the algorithm used to mark those whose exams were cancelled due to coronavirus.
Image:Pupils have protested in Whitehall against the results system
Mr Johnson's spokesman refused to say if he would follow the approach of Scotland and Northern Ireland in ditching the system and grade students according to their teachers' predictions.
"It is a devolved issue, our focus remains on working hard to introduce the fairest system possible for pupils," he told reporters on Monday afternoon.
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Asked if the prime minister had confidence in Mr Williamson, his spokesman said "yes" and added: "Ofqual continues to have the support of the PM."
Sky News understands an announcement will be made by the UK government later today.
More from Education
From Thursday: PM defends A-level results as 'robust'
Downing Street is facing pressure to provide clarity due to fury from some in the Conservative Party about the handling of exam results.
It seems private schools were the biggest benefit of the algorithm which led to claims it had "baked in" inequality.
Former minister Stephen Hammond told Sky News the situation was a "shambles", while disquiet has even spread to the frontbench - Penny Mordaunt tweeting that she had made her views known to the Department for Education.
Image:Exams were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic
Tory former education secretary Lord Baker, who drew up the GCSE exam system in the late 1980s, said the algorithm was "flawed" and called for results day this Thursday to be postponed.
"The A-level results have produced hundreds of thousands of unfair and barely explicable downgrades," he said.
"They have helped smaller private schools but hit the brighter students in a poorly performing state school. It is not surprising that various parties are considering legal actions."
Mr Johnson last week defended the algorithm, saying it was "robust" and "dependable".
Asked to repeat those words again on Monday, his spokesman declined to.
Labour is also urging ministers to "bring the exams fiasco to an end".
"The government must now allow young people to use the grades their teachers predicted at both A-level and GCSE," shadow education secretary Kate Green said.
The government could also face a legal challenge over the situation.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said he had instructing lawyers and expected to "initiate action" later on Monday.
Are you a concerned parent with A Level and GCSE children? Get in touch with Sky News :: WhatsApp - 07583 000853 :: Email - news@sky.com :: 'Your Report' on Sky News apps
Boris Johnson has "confidence" in his education secretary and the English exams regulator despite chaos over A-level and GCSE results.
Downing Street said the prime minister spoke to Gavin Williamson and other officials on the phone from his holiday in Scotland on Monday morning about the issue.
Number 10 added the government was trying to "come up with the fairest system possible", after complaints from pupils and Tory MPs about the algorithm used to mark those whose exams were cancelled due to coronavirus.
Image:Pupils have protested in Whitehall against the results system
Mr Johnson's spokesman refused to say if he would follow the approach of Scotland and Northern Ireland in ditching the system and grade students according to their teachers' predictions.
"It is a devolved issue, our focus remains on working hard to introduce the fairest system possible for pupils," he told reporters on Monday afternoon.
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Asked if the prime minister had confidence in Mr Williamson, his spokesman said "yes" and added: "Ofqual continues to have the support of the PM."
Sky News understands an announcement will be made by the UK government later today.
More from Education
From Thursday: PM defends A-level results as 'robust'
Downing Street is facing pressure to provide clarity due to fury from some in the Conservative Party about the handling of exam results.
It seems private schools were the biggest benefit of the algorithm which led to claims it had "baked in" inequality.
Former minister Stephen Hammond told Sky News the situation was a "shambles", while disquiet has even spread to the frontbench - Penny Mordaunt tweeting that she had made her views known to the Department for Education.
Image:Exams were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic
Tory former education secretary Lord Baker, who drew up the GCSE exam system in the late 1980s, said the algorithm was "flawed" and called for results day this Thursday to be postponed.
"The A-level results have produced hundreds of thousands of unfair and barely explicable downgrades," he said.
"They have helped smaller private schools but hit the brighter students in a poorly performing state school. It is not surprising that various parties are considering legal actions."
Mr Johnson last week defended the algorithm, saying it was "robust" and "dependable".
Asked to repeat those words again on Monday, his spokesman declined to.
Labour is also urging ministers to "bring the exams fiasco to an end".
"The government must now allow young people to use the grades their teachers predicted at both A-level and GCSE," shadow education secretary Kate Green said.
The government could also face a legal challenge over the situation.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said he had instructing lawyers and expected to "initiate action" later on Monday.
Are you a concerned parent with A Level and GCSE children? Get in touch with Sky News :: WhatsApp - 07583 000853 (using the hyperlink above) :: Email - news@sky.com :: 'Your Report' on Sky News apps
Pressure is mounting on ministers to let teacher-assessed grades stand in England to avoid a second wave of exams chaos hitting GCSE results this week.
About 40% of A-Level results were downgraded after the exams regulator Ofqual used an algorithm based on schools' previous results.
The government is expected to make a statement on the exams crisis this afternoon.
MPs have been told the Department for Education and Ofqual will address the issue after the outcry over results, but will hold off from delaying exam results.
A Downing Street spokesman said: "We recognise that many people are concerned and anxious about the exam grading system."
He added: "We will not be delaying GCSE results."
Tory backlash
The government has been facing a growing backlash from Conservative backbenchers, with at least 17 MPs criticising the system.
The list includes former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Paymaster General Penny Mordaunt who said she would be seeking meetings with the Department for Education on this issue.
Ms Mordaunt said: "This group of young people have lost out so much already, we must ensure that bright, capable students can progress on their next step."
Head teachers called last week's A-level results "unfair and unfathomable", with many gifted pupils losing top university places and pupils in sixth forms and further education colleges particularly badly hit by the algorithm.
Students across the UK were not able to sit exams as normal this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Ahead of UK GCSE results day on Thursday, Northern Ireland Education Minister Peter Weir announced the scrapping of algorithm-adjusted results and a move to teacher-assessed grades.
Some 700,000 pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive their results for GCSEs they never sat this week.
And there is speculation that the anomalies and unexpected results tied to Ofqual's algorithm will hit GCSE candidates harder.
Last week in England, 280,000 A-level results were downgraded from teachers' assessments, almost 40% of the total.
In Wales, 42% of A-level results predicted by teachers were lowered by the exam watchdog.
It comes after Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, apologised over downgraded exam results there and agreed to accept assessments by teachers when her nation's results were published two weeks ago.
'Shambles'
Wimbledon MP Stephen Hammond said Ofqual's failure to publish an appeals process for A-levels was a "shambles", arguing that a delay to GCSE results may be "the best thing to do in the short term".
Kate Green, Labour's shadow education secretary, told BBC Breakfast: "We're now going into week three of this debacle.
"We knew about the problem in Scotland two weeks ago, we know about the problem last week with A-levels.
"Here we are just two or three days away from GCSE results and the government still hasn't got a grip on the problem."
Labour has called for teacher-assessed grades to be used for A-levels in England, adding the should remain open for GCSEs.
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Former Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw said it was "inevitable" that the government would have to accept the grades estimated by teachers.
"The great danger for Gavin Williamson now is he's losing the confidence of head teachers around the country," he said, adding that "he is losing the dressing room".
The Grammar School Heads Association and the private schools' body, the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), also back a switch to teacher-assessed grades, as do the teaching unions and many prominent education academics.
Dr Simon Hyde, HMC's incoming general secretary, said it was "the only way now to stop this intolerable strain on students and teachers", despite the "unavoidable" grade inflation.
The Sixth Form Colleges Association said teachers' predictions should be adopted if the algorithm could not be made fair.
New guidelines are still being drawn up by Ofqual, the Department for Education said on Sunday evening.
'Confidence is in short supply'
Parents will now be wondering why teacher assessed grades are good enough for 16-year-olds in Northern Ireland and Scotland but not in England?
Pressure has piled on the government to find a solution, with both grammar schools and sixth form colleges saying their pupils have lost out, further undermining confidence in this year's grades in England.
If anyone should have done well based on previous years' results it's grammar schools that select on academic ability. Yet they say the A-level results were a "great injustice".
Grammar schools have a totemic place in the Conservative Party so this will worry many backbenchers.
One of the fundamental roles of an exam regulator such as Ofqual is to maintain confidence in the system.
Yet confidence is in short supply - with Sixth Form Colleges Association analysis showing students getting lower A-level grades than similar 18-year-olds in previous years.
A Department for Education spokesman said hundreds of thousands of students had received a calculated grade to "enable them to progress" and that the department aimed "to build as much fairness into the appeals system as possible".
Prof Tina Isaacs, who sits on Ofqual's advisory board, said "the public is losing confidence in the system" and she was "very concerned indeed" that Thursday's GCSE results would make the situation worse.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said he would be writing to Ofqual to start legal action over the "deeply flawed" allocation of grades, the third legal challenge the exam regulator faces over this year's A-levels.
On Sunday hundreds of students held protests against grades they believe were unfairly awarded.
Meanwhile, analysis by the Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA) looked at 65,000 exam entries in 41 subjects in its member colleges and found that grades were 20% lower than historic performances for similar students in those colleges.
The SFCA said it had not found a single one where the results were above the three-year average.
Ofqual states that its objective for A-level results this year has been to ensure "national results are broadly similar to previous years".
The research showed that Ofqual "not only failed to produce broadly similar results, but has in fact produced worse results in every single subject", the SFCA said.
Dr Mark Fenton, chief executive of the Grammar School Heads Association, said the results had also been unfair to some of its students.
He told the BBC that "a great injustice has been done" with "utterly baffling" results for some students with the "only fair outcome" being to accept grades predicted by teachers.
Three of Oxford University's colleges - Worcester, Wadham and St Edmund Hall - have confirmed that all places offered to UK students will be secured irrespective of their A-level results.
Ahead of GCSE results due to be released on Thursday, former Conservative Education Secretary Lord Kenneth Baker urged the government to delay the publication of grades until the situation surrounding A-levels had been resolved.
"If you are in a hole, stop digging," Lord Baker said.
Have your A level results been affected by this year's grading system?
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