The Schools White Paper - The Importance of Teaching - reported that the Government was seeking the advice of Ofqual, the independent qualifications regulator, on changes to restore confidence in GCSEs. These changes include a return to exams taken at the end of the course, and measures to improve the assessment of spelling, punctuation and grammar.

In an exchange of letters the Secretary of State welcomed Ofqual’s proposals for making changes to GCSE courses, starting in 2012. Ofqual carried out a consultation on the proposals in autumn 2011.

Decisions on implementation of the reforms announced

Ofqual announced their decisions on implementation of these reforms in the light of the outcomes of their consultation.  Full details of what the changes will mean are published on the Ofqual website.

End-of-course exams

For two-year GCSE courses beginning in September 2012, all external exams will have to be taken at the end of the course. This will mean;

  • re-sits of individual modules will end
  • students will still be able to retake full GCSEs

There will be the opportunity to retake a full GCSE in maths, English and English language in November because of the importance of these subjects for entry to further education and employment.  

Exams taken at the end of the course will not necessarily be taken at the end of Y11 or Key Stage 4. If appropriate, pupils can still complete full GCSE courses before then.

There has been a significant increase in the number of pupils being entered early for GCSE exams in recent years. Statistics show that this may not help pupils achieve their full potential. Teachers need to be sure that early completion of GCSEs is right for individual pupils. 
For information on the impact early entry can have on results, see the publication available in the associated resources on this page - Early entry in to GCSEs.

Assessments

Controlled assessments are internal assessments and not part of the exam cycle, so the timing of these will not be affected by the change.

However, Ofqual are looking separately into issues raised by schools regarding the implementation of controlled assessment. Ofqual will work with the awarding organisations to ensure requirements are clear nand not interpreted in a way that restricts teaching approaches, while ensuring rigour is maintained.

Spelling, punctuation and grammar

From September 2012 the proposal is to introduce marks for accurate spelling, punctuation and use of grammar for all external GCSE exams, i.e for those that have a sufficient written English element - English literature, geography, history and religious studies.

Wider reform of GCSEs

New GCSEs will be developed to reflect the outcomes of the National Curriculum review.

We expect to announce in the near future the timescale for introducing new GCSEs in National Curriculum subjects, alongside decisions on the introduction of the new programmes of study.