The GCSE Reforms - What are the implications?

The UK Government has made significant changes to the GCSEs in recent years, starting from the reduction in coursework and modular courses in 2012 to the abolition of January and March sittings in 2014, and now the transition to tougher GCSEs across all subjects later this year and in 2016. 

The changes have been brought about to “make Britain’s school-system world-class again” says UK education minister.  Whereas the current GCSE syllabus fails to stretch and challenge students, the new GCSEs will make subjects much tougher and are aimed to better prepare students for A-levels by asking more in-depth questions and putting an end to modular assessments.  

How are the new GCSEs tougher than the old ones?  What happens in 2015?

The former UK Secretary of State, Michael Gove, stated that the new reforms will see less emphasis on coursework, a different grading system doing away with the old A*-G and replacing it with 9-1 (9 being top) and exams that will be: "more challenging, more ambitious and more rigorous”.

The first changes will be made to Maths, English Language and English Literature with the new syllabus being taught from September 2015.

Maths

The new Maths syllabus is set to feature around a third more content and will require pupils to master essential concepts in greater depth.  The papers will include a new section on ratio, proportion and rates of change and will also require children to learn key formulas by heart – where previously, these would have been written on the paper.  The exams has more “real world problems”, including financial mathematics, to ensure the area is covered in greater depth.

English Language and English Literature

The new English Language GCSE will expect students to read a wider range of challenging literature and non-fiction texts from a range of genres and types (from 19th to 21st century).  20% of total marks for written exams will be awarded for spelling, punctuation and grammar including the use of vocabulary.

English literature, which will no longer be compulsory, will see students having to tackle an unseen text and will require pupils to study at least one Shakespeare play, a Victorian novel and modern British fiction or drama since 1914.

For Maths, the present arrangement where pupils can be entered for either a higher- or lower-tier paper will be maintained, but in English, that division has been scrapped and one exam will be taken by all.  At the moment, students who are entered for easier papers can be awarded only the maximum of a C grade.

What further changes are there?

The GCSEs for first teaching in Sept 2016 include Ancient Languages, Art & Design, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Double Science, Computer Science, Citizenship, Design & Technology, Drama, Geography, History, Modern Foreign Languages, Music, Physical Education and Religious Studies.  The content of these are currently being developed.

The new GCSE courses will not affect the IGCSE, but those who will be affected should brace themselves for a more challenging GCSE and A Level syllabus.  There is no doubt that teachers will have to deal with a huge amount of change to the qualifications.  Tutors in UK and HK will also have to become familiar with the changes.  As a large number of my GCSE Latin students take the OCR exams, I myself shall be taking a detailed look into those changes in the coming months.