Education Reform Evidence - GCSE and A Level reform: are new qualifications the gold standard of assessment?

Sep 5, 2026

Evidence on the reform of GCSE and A level qualifications evaluates whether new assessment arrangements deliver more rigorous standards. The text explains proposed changes including the 1–9 grading scale, removal of modules, increased reliance on end-of-course examinations, and the decoupling of AS from A level. It weighs rising pass rates against international survey findings indicating stable standards, while discussing impacts of curriculum, resit policy, and exam-focused teaching.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

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GCSE and A Level reform

GCSE pass rates have been increasing

Are standards falling or stable?

GCSE questions versus O-level questions

Improved assessment and reliability

Evidence for Eull Eact Excellence in Education # GCSE and A Level reform: are the new qualifications returninga 'gold standard'of assessment? ·While the GCSE pass rate has increasedsince its introduction,this doesn't tell us verymuch about how standards have changed.Evidence from international surveys suggeststhat education standards have remainedstable. ·Stopping the use of modules and limitingresits is likely to reduce pass rates but thisis not the same as improving standards. ·The changes to GCSE grading are likely tomake it easier to differentiate between thevery best students in the exams. ● The focus on written examinations ratherthan practical exams such as for science islikely to improve reliability in results but wedon't know how this will affect the teachingof these skills. ● The effects of all the reforms are difficultto predict in advance and it is likely thatdifferent groups will be affected differently. 1 GCSEs are being reformed with theintention that they'll be "more challengingso pupils are better prepared for furtheracademic or vocational study,or for work”,according to the government.There'llalso be a new grading scale that usesthe numbers 1 to 9 to identify levels ofperformance,with 9 being the top grade;a shift to assessment just at the end ofthe course and without a split betweenmodules;and more use of exams ratherthan coursework. AS and A levels are going through similarreforms with the main change beingthat AS and A levels will be decoupled-meaning that AS results will no longercount towards an A level,as they do now. Former Education Secretary MichaelGove has said that the new reforms would"address the pernicious damage causedby grade inflation and dumbing down”. Since the introduction of the GCSE in 1986,the percentage getting a good GCSE (A*to C)has risen,only stabilising in the past few years(data prior to 1995/96 is available from AlanSmithers at the University of Buckingham and refers to single passes while the more recentdata refers to 5 or more A*-C). # GCSE pass rates have been increasing %achieving 5+GCSEs at A*-Cor equivalent,only results for 15 year olds were included prior to2004/5 1995/96 1997/98 *Data relates to GCSE and GNVQs up to 2002/03,and GCSE and equivalent from 2003/04**From 2009/10,the data includes iGCSEs***Figures based on 2013 methodology Source:Department for Education,Revised GCSE and equivalent results in England:2013 to 2014(March 2015) But this doesn't necessarily mean standardshave fallen-and data from international surveyssuch as the Programme for International StudentAssessment,Programme for InternationalAssessment of Adult Competencies and Trendsin International Mathematics and Science Studyand Progress in International Reading LiteracyStudy suggest that standards have been remarkably stable in England.We've got more onthis in our briefing on PISA. Factors such as changes to the curriculum,how it is examined,variations in the policy onresits,as well as genuine changes to educationalstandards,may have all had an impact on passrates. The government has argued that the ability to enter examsearly and potentially re-take at a later stage harms performanceand focuses teaching too much on exam preparation Young people aren't as skilled as older adults,but this isn't new It is true that young adults (aged 16-24)in England are not as skilled as their oldercompatriots when it comes to literacy,numeracy and problem solving,according to datafrom The International Survey of Adult Skills 2012.But this isn't anything new and it doesn'tnecessarily prove that children are leaving school with lower levels of skill than previousgenerations-it's just that young people continue to pick up on these skills into adulthood. Even if skill levels among school leavers are comparatively low,this also doesn't necessarilymean education standards are falling.It could just mean that what is being taught isn'tgiving all young people the skills the

FAQs

What changes are being introduced to GCSEs and A levels?

GCSEs will use a new 1–9 grading scale, end modules, and rely more on examinations at the end of the course. A levels will also be reformed, with AS results decoupled so they no longer count toward A level results.

Does the increase in GCSE pass rates prove that standards have changed?

No. The text argues that rising pass rates do not automatically indicate higher or lower standards, because international surveys suggest education standards in England have remained remarkably stable.

How do GCSE exam questions compare with the older O-level exams?

The text explains that GCSEs assess the whole cohort and therefore include a different balance of question difficulty than O-levels, which were designed for the top portion of the cohort while others took CSE.

Sep 5, 2026

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