Opinion

How we could abandon GCSEs and make 14-19 education work

Expecting students to take a plethora of exams at 16 makes little sense in a modern context. By stripping...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

How do exam writers put together questions for tests?

After an Edexcel GCSE maths question about Hannah’s sweets went viral on Twitter yesterday, exam writer Paula Goddard gives...

Sophie Scott
Sophie Scott
Opinion

‘Rigour’ mortis for Gove GCSEs?

In November 2013, Michael Gove reminded us the Coalition had “outlined plans for changes to GCSE qualifications designed to...

Sophie Scott
Sophie Scott
Opinion

Vocational qualifications don’t need more ‘rigour’

Despite the many flaws, teachers must act with integrity when delivering and assessing the constantly changing BTECs The BTEC...

Oliver Beach
Oliver Beach
Opinion

To Google, or not to Google: that is the question

Exam time is looming. As the weeks of revision draw to an end, thousands of students will soon be...

Nick Linford
Nick Linford
Opinion

With GCSE resits vanishing, are functional skills qualifications a better alternative?

When learners are no longer offered the luxury of resits in English and maths, are functional skills qualifications a...

Expert Contributor
Expert Contributor
Opinion

What would be the benefit of a philosophy GCSE?

The answer’s easy: it would give young people the opportunity to discover the subject as a centuries-long conversation amongst...

Expert Contributor
Expert Contributor
Opinion

Are we really ready for the new, ‘more rigorous’ Maths GCSE?

The principles underlying the changes to GCSE maths are sound. But the practicalities are less so. For a start,...

Joanne Morgan
Joanne Morgan
Opinion

Real language skills need to deal with the unexpected

Unlike in many other subjects, the new modern foreign languages GCSE is retaining a listening and speaking component. This...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips