30th May 2013 9:00
By Blue Tutors
The education secretary, Michael Gove, has announced that it is time for England, Wales and Northern Ireland to go their separate ways on GCSEs and A Levels. He believes that the differences in the exams in each country are now so great that it is misleading to continue giving them the same name. Gove said that this is a “natural and legitimate consequence of devolution”.
The Northern Ireland and Wales education ministers both expressed disappointment last year when Gove announced his proposed changes to A Level exams without consulting either of them. Last week, John O’Dowd, the Northern Ireland education minister, met with Michael Gove to discuss the way in which the exams differ. The meeting appears to have prompted Gove to make this recent declaration, realising that his government’s reforms will lead to exams bearing the same name, but being radically different.
Scottish students sit Intermediates, Highers and Advanced Highers, rather than GCSEs and A Levels. The system has given students more flexibility than students studying A Levels, because, in Scotland, students have the choice to apply to university courses that allow entrance at 17, and complete 4 four year degrees, or to study Advanced Highers before attending a typical English University. The benefit of this latter option is that it’s widely acknowledged that the Advanced Higher is more difficult, and better preparation, than the A Level.