GCSE grade chaos
Fears of errors in new marking scheme Pupils getting top result to fall by half Anxiety of teens ‘acting as guinea pigs’
THOUSANDS fewer teenagers will get the top mark in GCSE English and maths this year following a radical shake-up to make the qualifications tougher.
Only 2 per cent are expected to scoop the new numerical grade 9 in English language – compared with 4 per cent who achieved an A* last year.
In maths, only 3 per cent are likely to get a 9 – while 7 per cent gained an A* under the old system.
In both cases the proportion achieving the very top mark will be roughly halved. It could damage some bright pupils’ prospects of getting an offer from Oxbridge, as those who may once have got all A* grades will find it harder to get 9s. Hundreds of thousands of teenagers in England will open their GCSE results today as the first year group to sit new GCSEs in maths, English language and English literature.
Yesterday, there were early indications of chaos and confusion over the changes as exam watchdog Ofqual said more students may get the wrong mark in comparison with previous years.
Teaching leaders warned that anxious students were being treated like ‘guinea pigs’.
The new qualifications have tougher content, are assessed through exams rather than coursework and have a new numerical scale to replace the old alphabet system. The three subjects will be assessed on a 1-9 scale, with 9 the top mark.
The scale allows for better differentiation between the high-performing candidates, with grades 7, 8 and 9 replacing A and A*.
But there are concerns that many teenagers who would have gained the highest possible grade last year will not do so this summer. Analysis of Ofqual data suggests that in total, around 16,100 entries – or 3 per cent – are likely to score a 9 in maths and 10,700 – or 2 per cent – in English language. Last year, 7 per cent achieved an A* in maths and 4 per cent achieved an A* in English language.
If these proportions were to be transferred to this year’s results, it would have equated to 37,600 getting the top mark in maths and 21,400 getting the top mark in English language.
Alan Smithers, professor of education at the University of Buckingham, said: ‘There are likely to be very few grade 9s this year. There are already few A* grades in English and maths, and now these are to be spread across grades 8 and 9. With tougher content and exams they will be even thinner on the ground.’
The new scale has been created in response to concerns that universities and employers were unable to differentiate between good and exceptional candidates.
Other subjects will be assessed using A*-G grades this year, but will switch to the numerical system in the future.
However former education secretary Lord Baker, who introduced GCSEs, said the numerical system would leave employers ‘puzzled’. The Institute of Directors said its members may think the 19 system is ‘gibberish’ and instead favour job candidates with old style lettered GCSE grades.
Yesterday, senior Ofsted director Mike Sheridan warned that schools would find it ‘incredibly challenging’ to predict grades. Ofqual has already admitted in a technical briefing that more teenagers may get the wrong mark in comparison with previous years.
It warned of the ‘profound effect’ of introducing more grade boundaries. The number of pupils requesting their paper to be remarked is also likely to rise sharply this year as teachers and parents eye the changes with suspicion.
Mark Dawe, the former boss of the OCr exam board, called for the Government to scrap its resits policy – which he said was leading to ‘mass failure’ – and instead fund alternative qualifications.
Geoff Barton, of the Association of School and College Leaders, warned the reformed GCSEs would create more anxiety for students. He said: ‘We know from numerous reports that there is a rising tide of mental health issues among young people and we are concerned the new exams will make the situation worse.’
Dr Mary Bousted, of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: ‘The Government’s calamitous, rushed-through reforms to the exams system have put extreme pressure on pupils taking their GCSEs this year.
‘We can only hope pupils aren’t put at a disadvantage after being used as guinea pigs.’
The exam reforms were brought in by former education secretary Michael Gove following concerns about ‘dumbing down’ and grade inflation. In the new English language GCSE, for example, there is greater emphasis on spelling and grammar.
Ofqual chief regulator Sally Collier said it had tried to ensure that the first cohort of students ‘is not disadvantaged’.
‘Calamitous and rushed through’