Member News
Isabel Nisbet, chief executive of Ofqual, outlines the changes to the A-level system taking effect this year.
This year sees significant changes to the A-level system and Ofqual, together with the regulators of qualifications in Wales and Northern Ireland, has been working with the awarding organisations to ensure that the grades they award are consistent and fair.
As independent regulator, our aim is to protect the interests of learners by making sure standards are maintained and that the grades awarded this year are comparable to previous years – safeguarding standards is what we do.
With a few exceptions, the new specifications comprise:
-Four units rather than six, as in previous years.
-Many of the exams for the new specifications are longer, which gives scope for the introduction of another significant change – 'stretch and challenge'. This change was outlined in the 14-19 education and skills white paper.
-Fewer papers means less fragmentation and more opportunity for synoptic assessment.
-The new specifications have revised content, which may also be packaged differently due to the change in the numbers of units.
-There have also been changes to coursework – in some subjects it is now compulsory and in others it has been removed.
The A* grade is also being introduced for A-level this year – it will be awarded to candidates who achieve an A grade overall and perform consistently well in the more challenging A2 papers. In order to get an A*, candidates have to get an A overall for their A-level, and score 90 per cent or more of the total A2 marks available. It is being awarded for full A-levels only, not for AS levels or for individual units.
During the summer the regulators will be monitoring the awarding process and the outcomes so that people can be confident that results are a fair record of the candidates' achievements, are in line with those in previous years, and have been awarded fairly across awarding organisations.
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