Overall Results for GCSEs in the Autumn Series

Just under 60 per cent of students who entered improved their grade compared with the summer.

Almost 60 per cent of students who took autumn exams in GCSE subjects other than English and maths improved on their grades issued in the summer, according to data from the Joint Council for Qualifications.

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Leadership Briefing issue 7.07 (79)"
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Leadership Briefing issue 7.07 (79)"
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      string(4362) "ResourceFROM GCSES TO EBCS: THE GOVERNMENT’S PROPOSALS FOR REFORMOriginal DocumentFrom GCSEs To EBCs: The Government’s Proposals For Reform. This is the House of Commons Education Committee report on reform of the National Curriculum which, together with Ofqual’s input, brought about the changes announced by the Secretary of State on the future of qualifications, school league tables and the national curriculum.KeywordsCommons Education Committee, National Curriculum, GCSEs, franchising, changes, stability, exam system.SummaryThis is the House of Commons Education Committee report on reform of the National Curriculum which, together with Ofqual’s input, brought about the changes announced by the Secretary of State on the future of qualifications, school league tables and the national curriculum.Conclusions:· We agree that significant improvements are required to GCSEs and to the system in which they operate, in order to restore public confidence in our exams. We are concerned, however, that the Government is trying to do too much, too quickly.· The Government needs to show that the GCSE brand is so discredited that a new qualification is required and that the many improvements it is rightly seeking could not be achieved by making changes to GCSEs. In particular, we have serious concerns about how well the proposed reforms will serve lower attaining pupils, who are often the most disadvantaged, and we question how raising the bar will help these students.· The Government must show that it has paid sufficient attention to the likely unintended consequences of franchising and to the complexities of the tendering process. We are concerned that attempting to reform qualifications, increase their difficulty, and change the way exams are administered all at the same time and to a very tight timetable may jeopardise the quality of the reforms, as well as threaten the stability of the wider exam system.· The proposed reforms need to be considered in the context of other changes to the education system. It is vital that these proposed changes are reviewed alongside changes to the curriculum and, crucially, changes to the accountability system which drives the way that qualifications are used in schools. Without this information, it is impossible to make a full and proper assessment of the potential impact of the Government’s proposed changes.· There has been a lot of opposition to the proposals and many questions remain unanswered. Changes of this magnitude are best achieved with as wide support as possible across the education system, the wider economy, young people and their parents and, not least, the political spectrum. We call upon the Government to slow down the pace of reform.Recommendations on purpose of reforms:· The Government publishes programmes of study for the revised secondary National Curriculum as soon as possible, so that it can be seen how these relate to the proposed qualification reforms.· The Government sets out the curriculum and educational outcomes required of the new EBCs.· Any option for reform of exams administration, whether it be a single board or a franchised system, can only have limited impact while the school accountability system continues to drive schools’ behaviour in the way that it does at present. We recommend that the Government publishes its proposals for reforms to the accountability system as soon as possible, so that they can be considered alongside the proposed GCSE reforms.· Changes to assessment and school accountability should only be implemented as part of a coherent review of Key Stage 4 education.· The Government should state clearly what it sees as the essential purposes of qualifications and assessment at age 16, which underpin the proposed reforms.· The Government may risk transferring the strain currently placed on GCSEs to the new EBCs, if it continues to use the new qualification, and particular grades obtained in it, as the sole basis of its accountability measurements. We recommend that the Government takes very careful account of Ofqual’s advice when drawing up proposals for a revised accountability system.ActionNotesAuthorR ChimaDate CreatedFebruary 2013Enquiries to:raspal.chima@yahoo.co.uk(Authoring Unit)Month / YearPage 1 of 1©Birmingham City Council"
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Leadership

From GCSEs To EBCs: The Government’s Proposals For Reform

13 Feb 2013

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      string(2604) "The research presents estimates of the economic value of reducing the disadvantage attainment gap in each region in England, so that it is the same size as the attainment gap in London and improving the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in all regions to the same level as in London. For each region in England, an ‘attainment gap’ is calculated which represents the difference in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and their peers. This attainment gap is smaller in London than it is in other regions in England. Two scenarios are presented. The first scenario calculates the number of extra disadvantaged pupils who would need to improve their GCSE attainment in each region in order to reduce the attainment gap to the same size as it is in London. The second scenario outlines the number of extra disadvantaged pupils who would need to improve their GCSE attainment in each region in order to match the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in London. Main Findings: In the academic year 2013/14, a greater percentage of pupils who were not disadvantaged achieved at least five GCSEs at A* -C including English and maths compared to those who were disadvantaged. This was consistent across all regions of England for both boys and girls and is referred to as the attainment gap throughout this publication. The size of the attainment gap is smallest in London at 21 percentage points. In some regions, the attainment gap exceeds 30 percentage points. If the attainment gap in all regions could be reduced to the same size as London, this would lead to an increase of around 125 ,000 disadvantaged pupils achieving the equivalent of five or more GCSES at A* -C including English and maths if effects were replicated for children currently of school age across England. Across the country, if the attainment gap could be reduced to the same size as it is in London, some disadvantaged individuals would increase their lifetime productivity by the equivalent of approximately £110,000 in present value terms for each pupil who improves their attainment. This would lead to an overall economic benefit of around £12 billion in present value terms over the lifetimes of the individuals analysed. Similarly, if disadvantaged pupils in all regions performed as well as disadvantaged pupils in London, this would lead to an overall economic benefit of around £20 billion in present value terms. WEB LINKEconomic Returns To GCSEs: Region And Disadvantage KeywordsEconomic returns, GCSEs, region, disadvantage, benefit, disadvantaged pupils, London, attainment gap"
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Economic Returns To GCSEs: Region And Disadvantage

3 Jan 2018

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      string(326) "... per cent, and a higher proportion of headteachers disagreed (58 per cent compared to 49 per cent in 2016). The proportion of respondents who said GCSEs are “good preparation for further study” remained consistent at 70 per cent, though there was a decrease in those that think GCSEs are good ..."
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      string(2869) "The project was commissioned by Ofqual and conducted by YouGov. The aim of this project was to investigate head teachers’, teachers’, students’, parents’, the general public’s, employers’ and Higher Education Institutions’ (HEIs) perceptions and levels of confidence in qualifications and the examination system in England. Last summer was the first time the new 9 to 1 grading system was used, in three exams: English language, English literature and maths. It will be applied to a wider range of subjects in the results issued in summer this year. Key Findings: Of those who responded to the survey, 83 per cent were aware of the new grading system, and 82 per cent correctly identified that 9 is the best grade pupils can get. The proportion of young people who felt that GCSE standards are maintained year on year also decreased in the latest round of the YouGov survey, commissioned by Ofqual, from 46 per cent in 2016 to 35 per cent in 2017. However, the perception of GCSEs as a trusted qualification remained unchanged, with 72 per of respondents saying so this year, the same as in the previous survey. The same amount of participants felt that marking was as accurate in 2017 as it was in 2016, but this figure was low at only 36 per cent, and a higher proportion of headteachers disagreed (58 per cent compared to 49 per cent in 2016). The proportion of respondents who said GCSEs are “good preparation for further study” remained consistent at 70 per cent, though there was a decrease in those that think GCSEs are good preparation for work, from 38 per cent to 35 per cent. People still agree that AS and A-levels are well understood at the same level, 59 per cent, and the proportion of respondents who said AS and A-levels are trusted qualifications also remained the same at 81 per cent. There is slightly more confidence in A-level marking than at GCSE, but this still amounted to less than half of respondents (40 per cent). Seventy-nine per cent of people agree that AS and A-levels are good preparation for further study, a proportion that remained steady, though more higher education institutions disagreed with the statement than last year (20 per cent compared with 13 per cent). The perception that AS and A-levels are good preparation for work saw a decrease on 2016, from 41 per cent to 37 per cent, especially among young people. Forty-nine per cent of respondents believe that AS and A-levels develop a broad range of skills for students, a decrease from 52 per cent in 2016. WEB LINK Perceptions Of A Levels, GCSES And Other Qualifications In EnglandKeywords Perceptions, A levels, GCSES, qualifications, England, 9 to 1 grading system, English language, English literature, Maths, subjects "
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Leadership

Perceptions Of A Levels, GCSES And Other Qualifications In England

24 Apr 2018

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      string(356) "... teachers generally being more positive than headteachers. Further,students and teachers reported the highest levels of confidence in the marking and grading of Alevels and GCSEs across all respondent groups. ■ When thinking about grading of GCSEs and A levels, the subject areas that respondents tended tobe more concerned about ..."
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Leadership Briefing Issue 9.02(98)"
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      string(3786) "Leadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents.PERCEPTIONS OF A LEVELS, GCSES ANDOTHER QUALIFICATIONS IN ENGLANDKeywordsConfidence,A-level, grades,perceptions,vocationalqualifications   SummaryNearly half of teachers lack confidence in A-level grades, according to this Ofqual report.This report presents the findings of the 12th wave of research of the Perceptions Survey. Thislongitudinal study aims to explore attitudes to general and vocational qualifications, as well asawareness and perceptions of Ofqual.A similar proportion believe A-level marking has got less accurate over the past two years. But thevast majority of heads (81%) and most teachers (74%) have confidence in the A-level system overall.It questioned 230 head teachers, 698 teachers, 365 pupils and 321 parents, alongside 1,800members of the public.When head teachers were asked what percentage of students they thought got the right A-levelgrade, a range of between 71% and 80% was the most popular answer.One of the main concerns about the exams system as a whole appeared to be constant change.Key Findings: ■ Confidence in the A level system was high among respondents. However, some respondentgroups reported a moderate loss of confidence in A level qualifications. ■ The A level qualification was generally perceived as a “trusted qualification”. ■ Levels of confidence in the GCSE system remain low when compared to the A level system. ■ Perceived “constant change in the exam system” was the main source of concern among allrespondent groups. ■ Teachers and headteachers reported differing views on confidence in the marking and grading ofA levels and GCSEs, with teachers generally being more positive than headteachers. Further,students and teachers reported the highest levels of confidence in the marking and grading of Alevels and GCSEs across all respondent groups. ■ When thinking about grading of GCSEs and A levels, the subject areas that respondents tended tobe more concerned about were English, maths and sciences.Week Commencing 29th September 2014http://ofqual.gov.uk/documents/perceptions-of-a-levels-gcses-and-other-qualifications/http://ofqual.gov.uk/documents/perceptions-of-a-levels-gcses-and-other-qualifications/Leadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents. ■ Headteachers and teachers reported the highest level of knowledge and understanding ofvocational qualifications. Members of the public had the least. ■ All respondent groups felt that ‘other qualifications’ including “other academic qualifications” and“vocational qualifications” were easier to achieve than A levels and GCSEs. ■ As expected, awareness of Ofqual was particularly high among headteachers and teachers, whilemembers of the public were the least aware. ■ Respondents who were aware of Ofqual positively rated its performance as the exams regulator,but by a small margin. ■ “Inconsistent marking” of exam papers and “inconsistent grading” were the main reasons whyrespondents believed Ofqual to be ineffective at maintaining standards. ■ Trust in Ofqual as a source of information about exams was highest among headteachers andteachers..WEB LINKPerceptions of A Levels, GCSEs and Other Qualifications in Englandhttp://ofqual.gov.uk/documents/perceptions-of-a-levels-gcses-and-other-qualifications/"
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Leadership

Perceptions of A Levels, GCSEs and Other Qualifications in England

25 Sep 2014