23/01/2013

Changes To A-Level Exam System Confirmed

A-level examinations will now take place at the end of a two-year course, the Education Secretary has confirmed.

Michael Gove confirmed that from 2015 so called “bite sized” units would be scrapped with pupils instead sitting final exams at the end of two-years.

AS-levels will remain as they are, but the qualification will be recognised as a standalone exam.

The BBC reported that in a letter to exam regulator Ofqual, Gove said A-levels in their current form do not provide the solid foundation students need.

"The modular nature of the qualification and repeated assessment windows have contributed to many students not developing deep understanding or the necessary skills to make connections between topics," wrote Mr Gove.

However head teachers' leader Brian Lightman was reported to have said in response: "This is a classic case of fixing something that isn't broken."

(H/GK)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

09 May 2005
GCSE exam papers to be replaced
Around half a million GCSE exam papers are being replaced after papers were stolen from one delivery van and more were reported as ‘lost’ from another van. The papers from the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) examination board are for exams in French, science and history.
03 July 2012
Stop Exam Boards Fighting To Offer The Easiest Exam, Says Education Committee
After a long inquiry the UK Parliaments Education Committee has concluded that competition between exam boards creates significant pressure to drive down standards in exams and that the time is right for fundamental reform.
25 May 2012
AQA Criticised For Jewish Prejudice Exam Question
An exam board has been criticised for a religious studies exam paper asking candidates to explain, "Why some people are prejudiced against Jews". Education Secretary Michael Gove said to suggest anti-Semitism could ever be explained was "insensitive and, frankly, bizarre.
09 March 2015
PM Pledges To Open 500 Free Schools
The Prime Minister has pledges to open a further 500 free schools if the Conservative Party is re-elected. At a speech in London today, Monday, Mr Cameron will promise to create an additional 27,000 places at state-funded schools by 2020.
03 September 2012
GCSEs 'Unfair' This Year Admits Michael Gove
Education Secretary Michael Gove has admitted that GCSE students in England were treated unfairly this year. The boundaries between C and D in GCSEs in England were moved part way through the year, leaving many students with lower grades than they had been predicted.