Private schools show shift away from GCSE exams
ALMOST HALF of exam entries from private school teenagers this year were for an alternative to GCSEs.
Figures indicate that the proportion of International GCSEs (IGCSEs) taken by youngsters at fee-paying schools has soared, doubling in just five years. But major exam reforms in England aimed at toughening up GCSEs could bring this rise to a halt, as IGCSEs may no longer have the same advantages over the traditional qualifications, according to one independent school leader.
Figures published by the Independent Schools Council (ISC) show that 49 per cent of entries from Year 11 pupils were for IGCSEs this year, up from 47.3 per cent last year. This is almost double the proportion of IGCSE entries in 2012, when they made up 24.9 per cent of all Year 11 exams. In 2010, just more than one in 10 (11.1 per cent) of entries were for these qualifications.
Different numbers of schools are included in the ISC figures each year.
ISC chairman Barnaby Lenon, said that many private schools started moving over to IGCSEs around 15 years ago, because they thought it was a more robust, challenging qualification that was more interesting for students and better preparation for A-levels than GCSEs.
Many schools began the switch with maths, with other subjects, such as science and languages following.
GCSE reform began under the coalition government, led by then Education Secretary Michael Gove, with ministers announcing plans to overhaul the system and introduce more challenging qualifications with less coursework and exams at the end of the twoyear-course.
These changes may make new GCSEs – which are graded on a 9-1 system, with 9 the highest result – more attractive to independent schools, than the old GCSE qualifications, Mr Lenon said.
“Looking to the future, it’s obviously the case that many of the advantages the IGCSE had over the GCSE are no longer there, at least not to the same degree.
“My advice to schools is to keep an open mind, at the very least take a look at the GCSEs and ask yourself how they compare.”
Many schools will wait and see how the new qualifications bed down before deciding whether to switch, he said.
Reformed GCSEs in English and maths were awarded for the first time this summer, with other subjects following over the next two years.
There has been a move away from IGCSEs towards GCSEs, particularly in English. This may be fuelled by state schools changing qualifications as IGCSEs will not count in annual school performance table.