‘England’s newA** GCSE grade could hit pupils inWales’ – claim
ANEW GCSE grade in England – already dubbed an equivalent to an A** – could put pupils in Wales at a disadvantage, Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Conservatives have warned.
Teenagers in England will be able to get a new Grade 9 when they pick up their GCSE results today, two grades above a Grade 7 which is the closest equivalent to an A in England’s new numeric grading system.
Exams regulators have urged people not to compare the new numberic grades to the letter grades, which are still being used in Wales and Northern Ireland.
But many, including headteachers in England, are already describing the grade 9 as equivalent to an A** as a smaller proportion of teenagers will achieve it than used to be awarded an A*.
Darren Millar, Welsh Conservative Shadow Education Secretary, said the new grade may lead people to think GCSE qualifications across the border are harder.
“International league tables have already ranked Wales at the bottom of the UK education league table, so while GCSEs are a tried and tested brand, there may be a perception that the new qualifications in England are tougher than the examination regime here.
“This perception could put Welsh students at a distinct disadvantage to their peers elsewhere in the UK when seeking employment or access to further and higher education.
“Unless employers can be assured that grades awarded for qualifications here are comparable to those in England then there could be dire consequences for the future of our young people and the Welsh economy.”
Plaid Cymru Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education Llyr Gruffydd said: “The Welsh Government needs to make sure that students from Wales will not be at a disadvantage as they move on to further education because of how their grades are ranked.
“There is also a danger that the new grading system in England will create confusion for employers and higher education institutions as they recruit.
“England’s decision to change the way it marks grades will certainly make it more difficult for us to compare Wales’ performance with other nations.”
Wales’ cabinet secretary for education Kirsty Williams said it was “scaremongering” to say the new nine grade could put pupils here at a disadvantage.
“This is scaremongering at best and inaccurate at worst.
“Wales’ grading system is well established, well understood by business and the education sector and no Welsh students will be put at a disadvantage. This year’s GCSE results are a test for the new system in England not Wales.
“Our GCSEs are quality assured at a UK level by independent regulators to make sure they are comparable to qualifications from the other nations. Our grading system and the robustness of our qualifications are clear, the confusion seems to be coming from elsewhere.”
The body regulating all nondegree qualifications, Qualifications Wales – and its equivalent in England, Ofqual – are adamant there is no A** across the border and a 9 should not be viewed as that.
However the same proportion of students who currently gain an A or A* will be awarded a grade 7 or higher in England - meaning that a grade 9 appears to be two grades higher than an A.
Quals Wales says GCSEs are of equal value in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and that universities will see them as equal.
But the change in England is causing confusion and worry, say head teachers there.
Heads of leading English schools said their pupils were aiming for grade nine, even though grade eight is the equivalent of an A*.
Clarissa Farr, retiring head of the independent St Paul’s Girls’ School in west London, was quoted in The Times saying:“One girl said, ‘If you’re ambitious you’re going to want a 9’.If the clouds clear to reveal a higher peak behind, there will be people who want to climb it.”
Neil Enright, head of Queen Elizabeth’s School, a boys’ grammar in north London. told The Times: “The boys are ambitious and they are certainly aiming for the new top grade.
“If GCSE is to be relevant, then it is important that the system allows the most able to be stretched and identified. Perspective is important, and I shall certainly be reminding our students that a grade eight is still an extremely good result.”
Tim Leunig, a Department for Education adviser, tweeted in a personal capacity in March that only two pupils in the whole country would get top grades across the board and some say the gap between eight and nine is so thin as to be meaningless.
A spokesman for Qualifications Wales said: “GCSE grades in Wales are not changing, we are sticking with A* to G grades. The new numerical grading system being introduced in England has nine grades instead of eight. So there is no direct readacross between the new nine to one grades and the more familiar A*-G grades. Broadly speaking, the new grades seven, eight and nine equate to grades A and A*. In practice, this means that the new grade eight straddles the A* and A grades.
“In other words, a student getting a new grade eight will have done as well as a student getting a high A grade, or a low A* grade.”
An Ofqual spokesman said: “Throughout the change the three regulators’ aim is that the qualifications retain the same value for those who take and rely on them, regardless of the qualification taken.”