Opinion · Education & Skills · The Mark
The urgent case for rethinking how we examine young people
By Tom Richmond
Founder and former Director, EDSK
Published 2 min read
The impact of COVID-19 on school examinations in 2020 and 2021 was devastating, yet it would be wrong to assume that all was well before the coronavirus took hold. Our research at EDSK has highlighted a range of significant problems with the current exam system.
Key findings
- Richmond argues that making hundreds of thousands of 16-year-olds sit up to 30 hours of pen-and-paper GCSE exams costs schools almost £200 million a year, which he calls "wasteful and unnecessary" given pupils must now stay in education or training until 18.
- Richmond says there is still no "level playing field" between academic and vocational qualifications, since schools are judged mainly on how many pupils pass a narrow basket of academic exams while A-levels are prized above other qualifications such as BTECs and apprenticeships.
- Richmond finds that only 4.4% of A-level students now study more than three subjects; that narrow range makes England an outlier compared with countries such as France, Germany and Ireland, which require a broad curriculum, including compulsory first language, maths and science, until the end of secondary education.
- Richmond concludes that despite the exam system's commendable features, such as rigorous curricula and assessments in many subjects, it suffers from "a distinct lack of ambition" about what it could and should deliver for learners and society as a whole.
How much is the current exam system costing schools?
First, the cost to schools is considerable. For example, making hundreds of thousands of 16-year-olds sit up to 30 hours of pen-and-paper GCSE examinations at a cost of almost £200 million a year is wasteful and unnecessary, particularly when these pupils must stay in education or training until the age of 18. Other countries have introduced online testing in both primary and secondary schools, illustrating how England is failing to keep up with the best innovations.
Ultimately, any mention of a level playing field will ring hollow until the government treats every course and institution fairly
Why is there still no level playing field between academic and vocational qualifications?
Second, the lack of a ‘level playing field’ between academic and vocational exams has been plainly apparent for decades. Government ministers from different parties have talked endlessly about their desire to put technical education on a par with academic education, yet the way that government holds schools to account shows that they continue to prize academic qualifications above all else. Secondary schools are measured on how many 16-year-olds pass exams in a very specific basket of academic qualifications with little consideration given to other courses, while A-level results at age 18 are placed on a pedestal above other qualifications such as BTECs and apprenticeships. The government even judges the performance of specialist technical colleges using the same skewed approach. Ultimately, any mention of a level playing field will ring hollow until the government treats every course and institution fairly.
Is the exam system narrowing the curriculum?
Third, our exam system promotes an astonishingly narrow curriculum. Only 4.4 per cent of A-level students now study more than three subjects. This limited breadth makes England an outlier by international standards, as most other developed nations such as France, Germany and Ireland insist on a broad curriculum right up to the end of secondary education and often make their first language, maths, science and other subjects compulsory for all students. Similarly, allowing 16-year-olds to select just one BTEC or technical subject for the next two years of their education is just as lamentable.
Ultimately, our exam system has some commendable features such as rigorous curricula and assessments in many subjects, but that does not hide the distinct lack of ambition around what the system could and should deliver for learners and society as a whole.
