22nd November 2012 9:00
By Blue Tutors
This week Ofqual has announced the first of the changes that will be made to the A level system in England. Exams will now be taken in the summer only, and resits will be limited to one which will be taken the following summer. The changes have come after the government admitted serious problems with the current exam system.
From next September A Level students will take exams only at the end of their first and second year of study. The government has criticised the modular nature of A Levels, saying that repeated resits led to grade inflation. The new exam system will be introduced gradually with “priority subjects” beginning first.
Head Teachers have criticised the plans, saying that Ofqual has shown no evidence that the reforms are necessary, and would mean huge turbulence and uncertainty for students and schools. Chris Keates, head of the NASUWT teaching union, said that the government is determined to change A Levels into an entrance exam for elite universities, as opposed to a qualification which allows all young people to pursue the paths they want to.