Mike Tomlinson, who is in charge of government plans to overhaul the curriculum for students aged 14 to 19, has questioned the long term viability of the GCSE exam.

"Given mass staying on at 16, what is the need for a leaving certificate? A progress check is needed at 16 but do we need either the level of assessment associated with GCSE or the cost to the system?" he said.

Forum Response: Association of Teachers and Lecturers

Gwen Evans, joint acting general secretary of ATL, told ePolitix.com: ""In his lecture last night, Mike Tomlinson drew attention to the changed role that the GCSE has come to have, given that most 16 year olds will be staying in the education system and therefore may not really need the educational interruption that doing 12 or 13 GCSEs can often represent.

"When ATL formulated its response to the recent 14-19 consultation it was clear that members were all too well aware of the disadvantages of the exams. They observed that there were times when entries were made with an eye on the league tables rather than on the interests of the individual.

"For ATL, removing or diminishing the pressure of league tables would represent a major step forward in encouraging genuine learning for everyone. That would be a massive improvement on the current situation where teachers feel forced to force-feed their pupils."

Forum Response: National Union of Teachers

A spokeswoman for the NUT told ePolitix.com: "Many people who leave school at 16 benefit from the GCSE examination. The qualification is also useful for higher education institutions and prospective employers."