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| GCSEs: Gove pledges 'challenging' exam changes | GCSEs: Gove pledges 'challenging' exam changes |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| An overhaul of GCSEs in England has been announced by Education Secretary Michael Gove as raising standards to "compete with the best in the world". | An overhaul of GCSEs in England has been announced by Education Secretary Michael Gove as raising standards to "compete with the best in the world". |
| From 2015, GCSEs will move from coursework to exams at the end of two years and will be graded from 8 to 1, rather than A* to G. | From 2015, GCSEs will move from coursework to exams at the end of two years and will be graded from 8 to 1, rather than A* to G. |
| "We need to reform our examination system to restore public confidence," Mr Gove told the House of Commons. | "We need to reform our examination system to restore public confidence," Mr Gove told the House of Commons. |
| Labour's Stephen Twigg attacked "shallow" changes lacking in evidence. | |
| Mr Twigg accused Mr Gove of "cutting back on re-sits, while affording himself a fourth attempt at GCSE reform". | Mr Twigg accused Mr Gove of "cutting back on re-sits, while affording himself a fourth attempt at GCSE reform". |
| Mary Bousted, leader of the ATL teachers' union, said the constant change in exams was turning pupils into "Mr Gove's guinea pigs". | Mary Bousted, leader of the ATL teachers' union, said the constant change in exams was turning pupils into "Mr Gove's guinea pigs". |
| 'Merit' | |
| Head teachers' leader Russell Hobby said the plans for a "more rigorous exam to the existing GCSE contain merit" but warned against an over-hasty implementation. "We need to take time to get any new assessment system right." | |
| Wales and Northern Ireland are keeping GCSEs, but so far are not adopting the changes proposed for England. | Wales and Northern Ireland are keeping GCSEs, but so far are not adopting the changes proposed for England. |
| Ofqual head, Glenys Stacey, says: "We want to see qualifications that are more stretching for the most able students, using assessments that really test knowledge, understanding and skills." | Ofqual head, Glenys Stacey, says: "We want to see qualifications that are more stretching for the most able students, using assessments that really test knowledge, understanding and skills." |
| There is no sign of a change in name to I-level for the English exams - as had been suggested. But the format is likely to be familiar to anyone who once took O-levels. | There is no sign of a change in name to I-level for the English exams - as had been suggested. But the format is likely to be familiar to anyone who once took O-levels. |
| Key changes from autumn 2015 | Key changes from autumn 2015 |
| The proposed changes to the structure and course content of GCSEs in England have been published by the Ofqual exam regulator and the Department for Education. | The proposed changes to the structure and course content of GCSEs in England have been published by the Ofqual exam regulator and the Department for Education. |
| The reforms will initially apply to a group of core subjects - English language and literature, maths, physics, chemistry, biology, combined science, history and geography. | The reforms will initially apply to a group of core subjects - English language and literature, maths, physics, chemistry, biology, combined science, history and geography. |
| 'Whole books' | 'Whole books' |
| Hundreds of thousands of pupils will begin studying these revised GCSEs from autumn 2015 and the first candidates to take the exams will be in summer 2017. | Hundreds of thousands of pupils will begin studying these revised GCSEs from autumn 2015 and the first candidates to take the exams will be in summer 2017. |
| Apart from exceptions such as practical experiments in science, there will be a shift towards results depending fully on exams taken at the end of two years. It will mean removing the 25% of marks in history, English literature and geography that are currently allowed for controlled assessments. | |
| Grading will be by numbers rather than letters - with 8 at the top and 1 at the bottom. The pass mark will be pushed higher, with claims it will compare with the highest-performing school systems, such as Finland and Shanghai. | |
| Although the National Union of Teachers commented that Finland uses a high level of the type of student assessment being removed from England. | |
| The new GCSEs will push for a more stretching, essay-based exam system, reminiscent of O-levels, taken by pupils until the late 1980s. | The new GCSEs will push for a more stretching, essay-based exam system, reminiscent of O-levels, taken by pupils until the late 1980s. |
| Mr Gove told MPs that previous course specifications "were too vague" and had caused "suspicion and speculation that some exam boards were 'harder' than others". | Mr Gove told MPs that previous course specifications "were too vague" and had caused "suspicion and speculation that some exam boards were 'harder' than others". |
| History will require a substantial study of British history - with an option for this to be the history of England, Wales, Scotland or Ireland. Pupils will have to write an in-depth study of a 25 to 50 year period within a range of eras stretching from 500AD to the present day. | History will require a substantial study of British history - with an option for this to be the history of England, Wales, Scotland or Ireland. Pupils will have to write an in-depth study of a 25 to 50 year period within a range of eras stretching from 500AD to the present day. |
| There will be a less prominent world history section and pupils will be asked to study a theme such as changes in politics, religion or culture across the medieval, early modern and modern eras. | There will be a less prominent world history section and pupils will be asked to study a theme such as changes in politics, religion or culture across the medieval, early modern and modern eras. |
| In English literature, responding to concerns that pupils were only reading chunks of books, the exam questions will be designed to ensure that pupils have read the full work. | In English literature, responding to concerns that pupils were only reading chunks of books, the exam questions will be designed to ensure that pupils have read the full work. |
| The course content will include at least one play by Shakespeare, a selection of work by the Romantic poets, a 19th Century novel, a selection of poetry since 1850 and a 20th Century novel or drama. | The course content will include at least one play by Shakespeare, a selection of work by the Romantic poets, a 19th Century novel, a selection of poetry since 1850 and a 20th Century novel or drama. |
| For both English language and literature, digital texts are excluded. | For both English language and literature, digital texts are excluded. |
| Maths will promote the idea of developing independent problem-solving skills, rather than setting types of questions that can be rehearsed. | Maths will promote the idea of developing independent problem-solving skills, rather than setting types of questions that can be rehearsed. |
| Education Minister Elizabeth Truss said: "We do need to start competing against those top performing countries in the world, because for too long we've pretended that students results are getting better, when all that's been happening is the exams have been getting easier. | Education Minister Elizabeth Truss said: "We do need to start competing against those top performing countries in the world, because for too long we've pretended that students results are getting better, when all that's been happening is the exams have been getting easier. |
| "It's been a race to the bottom between the exam boards and we need to stop that happening now." | "It's been a race to the bottom between the exam boards and we need to stop that happening now." |
| 'Culture of resits' | 'Culture of resits' |
| This is the latest stage in Mr Gove's drive to reconfigure the exam system. | |
| Last year, Mr Gove announced plans for the scrapping of GCSEs and their replacement with English Baccalaureate Certificates, with each subject to be set by a single exam board. | Last year, Mr Gove announced plans for the scrapping of GCSEs and their replacement with English Baccalaureate Certificates, with each subject to be set by a single exam board. |
| This re-branding was scrapped, with GCSEs to be retained but reformed instead. | This re-branding was scrapped, with GCSEs to be retained but reformed instead. |
| NUT general secretary Christine Blower said the the government's approach was "rushed". | |
| "If you did this by consensus, by actually talking to the profession and understanding how best to examine things, we would be in a much better position." | |
| Chris Keates, leader of the Nasuwt teachers' union, attacked the government's claim that the GCSE was a "broken qualification" and said it had "proved itself to be a robust and reliable qualification". | Chris Keates, leader of the Nasuwt teachers' union, attacked the government's claim that the GCSE was a "broken qualification" and said it had "proved itself to be a robust and reliable qualification". |
| She accused the government of driving an "inaccurate and ideologically-driven media attack on the qualification". | She accused the government of driving an "inaccurate and ideologically-driven media attack on the qualification". |
| The latest plans will be put out to consultation over the summer, with a timetable that will see exam boards producing courses to be accredited by Ofqual for teaching in autumn 2015. | |
| These changes are for exams in England. The prospect of different forms of GCSEs in Wales and Northern Ireland has raised the question of how they will be distinguished from each other. | These changes are for exams in England. The prospect of different forms of GCSEs in Wales and Northern Ireland has raised the question of how they will be distinguished from each other. |
| It had been suggested that in England the exam could be re-branded as I-levels, but this is not expected to be adopted and it is believed that so far no name change has been decided. | It had been suggested that in England the exam could be re-branded as I-levels, but this is not expected to be adopted and it is believed that so far no name change has been decided. |
| 'Uncertainty' | 'Uncertainty' |
| Meanwhile, MPs on the Commons Education Select Committee warned changes in GCSEs showed relations between ministers in England and Wales were "clearly under strain", and called for the continuation of "three-country qualifications and regulation". | |
| Chairman Graham Stuart said members were "concerned that there is a rush towards separate exam systems for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, without careful reflection on what might be lost, or consensus that this is the right thing to do". | Chairman Graham Stuart said members were "concerned that there is a rush towards separate exam systems for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, without careful reflection on what might be lost, or consensus that this is the right thing to do". |
| The education select committee has published a report on the controversial results of last summer's GCSE English results, which ended in a legal challenge. | The education select committee has published a report on the controversial results of last summer's GCSE English results, which ended in a legal challenge. |
| It concluded that the "poor design" of the modular exam was the underlying cause of the problems. | It concluded that the "poor design" of the modular exam was the underlying cause of the problems. |
| But there was a warning of the risks of introducing too many changes when working to a "tight timetable". | But there was a warning of the risks of introducing too many changes when working to a "tight timetable". |
| Brian Lightman, leader of ASCL, also warned of the risks of hurried implementation of new exams. "There must be time built in to plan, test and implement new qualifications properly," he said. | Brian Lightman, leader of ASCL, also warned of the risks of hurried implementation of new exams. "There must be time built in to plan, test and implement new qualifications properly," he said. |
| "A rushed implementation that ignores the views of teachers and experts will do nothing to build public trust." | "A rushed implementation that ignores the views of teachers and experts will do nothing to build public trust." |