10th September 2014 12:00
By Blue Tutors
Analysis of the recently published GCSE results has caused concern after it was revealed that there has been a sharp decline in performance in English GCSE. This year 61.7% of English papers were graded C or above, a fall of 1.9 percent. Many students were disappointed this year, achieving lower grades in GCSE English than predicted. Recent changes to the exam system are thought to account for the drop in results, with schools in poorer areas being hit hardest.
The Association of School and College Leaders has said that many schools with the most disadvantaged students had not received their predicted results. They also added that it was difficult to compare the GCSE performance to that of previous years because of the volume of changes to the exam system, reforms which, they said, made comparisons increasingly meaningless. Analysts have said that one of the biggest factors affecting results has been the reduction in younger students taking the exams a year early. This change is due to changes in league tables designed to discourage schools from entering students multiple times.
GCSE reforms, which included a reduction in coursework and a switch to non-modular courses, appear to have had by far the greatest impact on English results. The number of A*-C grades falling 1.9 % is thought to be influenced for the most part by these reforms, and in particular the removal of the speaking and listening element. MPs defended the changes, saying that the reforms had corrected mistakes and made the exams more rigorous. The Confederation of British Industry welcome the move to make exams more rigorous, but questioned the means via which this has been achieved. Raising concerns over the removal of speaking and listening elements, the CBI urged the government to keep education relevant to workplace skills.