The government’s shakeup of GCSEs and A-levels has failed to generate enthusiasm among the public, with employers, parents and students backing the need for reform but unhappy with the pace of change and confused by new grades for GCSEs.
The annual survey of perceptions of the examination system in England, conducted by YouGov for the exam regulator Ofqual, suggests that more work needs to be done by the Department for Education (DfE) to prepare parents and young people, with new GCSEs to be taught from this September and AS-levels no longer forming part of an A-level course.
The Ofqual survey found that while there was wide support for GCSEs and A-levels as trusted qualifications and as preparation for further study, many of those surveyed had reservations about the reliability of marking, the number of changes and the curtailing of assessment within exams.
More than a third of parents thought that increasing the importance of final course exams, at the expense of in-course assessment, was a bad thing at GCSE level. Among teachers, 42% disagreed, compared with 41% who agreed it was a bad thing.
Few appear to have grasped the new nine to one numerical grading system to be introduced for GCSEs, replacing the more traditional A-G letter grading. A majority of parents, employers and – worryingly – higher education institutions said they did not understand the new scale.
In response, Ofqual Ofqual issued a “postcard” on Tuesday explaining the changes to GCSE grading, which it billed as “an easy to digest summary”.
Glenys Stacey, Ofqual’s chief regulator, said: “There are many positives in this release, most importantly that GCSEs and A-levels continue to be trusted by the vast majority of those who rely on these qualifications.
“There are also areas where we can, and are already doing more, including enhancing our communications with everyone who has an interest in education.”
A majority of many of the groups surveyed also agreed that there was too much change in the GCSE system, despite nearly 40% of those who took part also agreeing that GCSEs needed reform.
Of those who had an opinion, more thought that GCSE standards were not maintained from year to year, with most who responded agreeing that “compared with last year I am less confident in the GCSE system”.
Within the detailed breakdown, headteachers surveyed strongly agreed that the accuracy of marking of GCSEs had deteriorated since the previous year, and a majority disagreed that marking was accurate. The public’s view was mixed on both issues.
The decoupling of AS-levels from being one-year modules within A-levels appears to perplex many of those outside the education sector. Parents, employers and the public were split on the question, with a majority not knowing or not having an opinion. But most students, teachers and higher education institutions thought the disadvantages of decoupling outweighed the advantages.
A majority of all respondents agreed that Ofqual was too close to the government.
One interesting sidelight in the survey was that headteachers from independent schools were significantly more likely than headteachers from state academies or free schools to agree that GCSEs needed reform.
A DfE spokesperson said: “The changes we have made to these qualifications are vital to ensuring that young people leave school prepared to succeed in modern Britain and with knowledge and skills that universities and employers need.
“Parents, teachers and young people need to have confidence that the grades they receive are an accurate reflection of a pupil’s performance. That’s why we’re pleased that the regulator is taking steps to improve the quality of marking and strengthening its oversight of awarding organisations.”
• The caption of the second image was amended on 4 June 2015 because an earlier version said the guidance was issued by the Department for Education. This has been corrected to say Ofqual.
