GCSE Reform Consultation: June 2013

GCSEs are being comprehensively reformed. The reformed GCSEs will reflect the subject content on which the Department for Education is consulting separately.

Ofqual is responsible for making sure that the reformed GCSEs are of high quality: that they fulfil their purposes, and provide valid and reliable results. We believe this reform programme provides an opportunity to make improvements to the design of the qualifications and assessments, so that they are as worthwhile to study and as stimulating to teach as possible.

These proposals have been developed taking account of the Secretary of State’s policy objectives set out in his letter of 6th February. We plan that reformed GCSEs in English language, English literature, mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics, science double award, geography and history will be ready to be taught from September 2015 and first awarded in August 2017. Reformed GCSEs in other subjects will be ready for first teaching from 2016.

We are consulting now on the key characteristics of the reformed GCSEs so that exam boards can design and develop them during the school year 2013 to 2014 and teachers can prepare during the 2014 to 2015 school year to teach them. It will be important that students, teachers and others are clear about how standards will be set in the reformed GCSEs. We will be consulting in the autumn on how standards will be set and maintained, once the key features of the reformed GCSEs have been agreed.