Press Release

Ofqual Reports Highlight Deficiencies Within Exam Bodies’ Says The NASUWT

27 March 2009

Commenting on the latest reports on examination standards from Ofqual, Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in the UK, said:

“The latest reports from Ofqual confirm that there are, on the whole, no significant problems with GCSE and A-level exams on the whole.

“I welcome the fact that the Ofqual Chair has highlighed and affirmed the value of GCSEs in her letter to the Minister, Jim Knight.

“There are clearly issues that have been identified concerning GCSE and A-level physics exams. There is no getting away from the finding that in some GCSE and A-level physics exams, the level of demand was too low.

“Clearly the awarding bodies failed to develop broad and engaging assessment activities to provide pupils with the opportunities to demonstrate the full range of their knowledge and skills.

“Ofqual is right to have directed attention to these deficiencies.

“The reports highlight concerns about the differences in practice between awarding bodies and the potential problems this creates.

“This confirms the NASUWT’s long-held view that in a coherent, unified national qualifications system it makes no sense for critical aspects of examinations, such as their content and administration, to be hived off to a group of awarding bodies who then tout for business from schools and colleges.

“The Government should use the opportunity presented by Ofqual’s findings to examine the case for reforming the current system of awarding bodies and to consider adopting the Scottish model of a single, democratically accountable body, located firmly within the public sector.”