Abolish GCSES

sir – After a summer of examination results carnage, it is timely to challenge the fitness for purpose of GCSES.

Written examinations are not the only way to assess pupils’ learning; nor do they recognise the aptitudes and skills that parents, educators and employers more obviously value.

A crisis of confidence in the examination system affords a real opportunity to reinvent the way we measure personal development.

Examinations are generally felt to be the fairest way to judge the extent to which content has been consumed and can then be regurgitated. Yet any adult would concede that readiness for life is much more than the ability to complete written tests.

Surely human ingenuity can devise ways to recognise the role of character, social skills and collaboration in enhanced life chances.

Why not put more faith in teachers to assess a wide scorecard of aptitudes, rather than a battery of written assessments? Real life is much less controlled than an exam hall.

Of course, there is a need for the assessment of knowledge gained and progress made. This could be better achieved through a blend of written tests, diagnostic interviews and practical problem-solving scenarios that assess the application of learning. Leo Winkley

Headmaster, Shrewsbury School