Effecting meaningful change - Curriculum and Assessment Review call for evidence submission summary

Oct 20, 2026

A summary of the Curriculum and Assessment Review call for evidence submission, presenting research-led recommendations to support meaningful change. It outlines a consistent principle that the curriculum should drive the assessment approach, supported by a structured review cycle for each subject. The summary emphasizes timely updates for fast-moving areas such as AI, media and fake news, the environment, and population changes, while proposing subject-by-subject implementation for manageable rollout.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Our headline recommendations

Curriculum-first principle and structured review cadence

Evidence-led flexibility for pilots

Subject integrity and authenticity

Stronger role for technology

A closer look: specific areas of focus

14–16 curriculum

Key Stage 3 breadth and transition

Effecting meaningful change A summary of our Curriculum and Assessment Review call for evidence submission Effecting meaningful change A summary of our Curriculum and Assessment Review call for evidence submission We’re pleased to have contributed to the Government’s call for evidence as part of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, and to have joined the voices of other sector experts, educators, parents/carers and learners to share our research, experience and recommendations with the panel. Since the Review was announced, it’s been encouraging to see much consistency and agreement across these voices – highlighting where there are opportunities to effect meaningful change. As the world’s lifelong learning company and a leading UK awarding organisation, our submission and recommendations draw on our experience, research and on our wide-ranging collaboration with educators, students and families, as well as sector experts. In this summary of key points from our submission, we set out our recommendations for how this meaningful change can be brought about. Over the coming weeks and months, we look forward to sharing more detail and continuing work with other sector experts, partners, educators and learners to further develop and bring these to life. Our headline recommendations • Embrace and embed the principle that the curriculum comes first and informs the assessment approach – rather than the other way round. • Commit to a structured programme of review for the curriculum and assessment of each subject (qualification), with update or reform where it’s needed. We believe that this structured review should take place in a planned manner (e.g. every seven years or sooner if needed – as may be the case for technical and vocational qualifications in particular) . We also recommend that this review cadence makes sure content is up to date for the nature and progression purpose of the subject. This commitment will improve the currency of curriculum and assessment, ensuring areas that experience extraordinary change such as AI, the media/fake news, the environment, and population demographics can be addressed more quickly. We recommend that this programme is carried out subject by subject, rather than by addressing all subjects at the same time. This approach will give a structured timeline and ensure the implementation of changes is manageable for the sector. Alongside this, it will also be important to look at current mechanisms for reviewing and approving awarding organisations’ proposals for improvements and innovation. This is so that these processes can be made swifter to ensure the benefits reach schools, colleges and students more quickly. To enable a more data and evidence-led approach, we also believe in providing greater flexibility and space for awarding organisations to test and pilot assessment models before assessment objective requirements are set. • Balance carefully what is right for a particular subject with any higher-level design principles (for example, features for a full suite of GCSEs or Tech Awards) . We believe this will improve the authenticity of subject curricula and assessments (i. e. fit of content and assessment with the nature of the subject), to better support students’ engagement and experiences. • Embrace technology to play a stronger role in both curriculum and assessment. We believe this will facilitate meaningful change, including a shift to onscreen assessment as an option in subjects that lend themselves to this, and paving the way for a longer-term shift towards more adaptive,‘digital-first’ flexible assessment models. A closer look: specific areas of focus Underpinning these overarching recommendations, we’ve identified specific areas for improvement that we believe will best support educational progress for children and young people. 14–16 curriculum Recommendations: • Rethink the purpose of subject curricula to make sure young people have strong

FAQs

What is the core recommendation about how curriculum and assessment should relate?

The submission recommends embracing the principle that the curriculum comes first and informs the assessment approach, rather than the other way around.

How does the document propose reviewing curriculum and assessment over time?

It calls for a structured programme of review for the curriculum and assessment of each subject, with planned updates or reform where needed, including consideration of a cycle such as every seven years.

What improvements are suggested for the 14–16 curriculum?

The summary recommends rethinking the purpose of subject curricula to provide strong foundations, strengthening Key Stage 3 breadth with specialist teaching, and reducing over-burdened GCSE content to free up space and time.

Oct 20, 2026

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