[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-206870-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":74,"doc-detail-206870-en":124},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":67,"head_meta":69,"extra_data":71,"updated_unix":73},105,"en","matters-issue-2-8-autumn-2-0-1-9","mAttERS / ISSUE 2 8 / AUtUmn 2 0 1 9","","Discussion of post-16 policy changes affecting English and mathematics at Level 2, including GCSE resits and Functional Skills, and the resulting challenges for students, teachers, and providers. It frames the policy catalyst in Alison Wolf’s 2011 Review of Vocational Education and explains how grading reforms (such as the 9–1 GCSE scale) reshape expectations. The content reviews government requirements for 16–18 and later cohorts, outlines effects on participation and pass rates, and highlights differences across educational settings.",{"@graph":14,"@context":66},[15,34,49],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/matters-issue-2-8-autumn-2-0-1-9/206870/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"author":36,"headline":10,"publisher":39,"fileFormat":42,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":43,"datePublished":43,"encodingFormat":42,"isAccessibleForFree":44,"interactionStatistic":45},"DigitalDocument",{"name":37,"@type":38},"Levi","Person",{"url":19,"name":40,"@type":41},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-09-05",true,{"@type":46,"interactionType":47,"userInteractionCount":4},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":48},"ViewAction",{"@type":50,"mainEntity":51},"FAQPage",[52,58,62],{"name":53,"@type":54,"acceptedAnswer":55},"What policy change triggered revisions to post-16 English and mathematics study requirements?","Question",{"text":56,"@type":57},"Alison Wolf’s 2011 Review of Vocational Education recommended that English and mathematics become a required component of post-16 programmes for those without GCSE grades A*-C, leading to subsequent government policy revisions.","Answer",{"name":59,"@type":54,"acceptedAnswer":60},"What did the 2014 requirement mean for students aged 16–18 without GCSE C/4 in English or mathematics?",{"text":61,"@type":57},"Students aged 16–18 in England who had not achieved at least grade C/4 in GCSE English or mathematics had to continue studying these subjects as part of their programme of study.",{"name":63,"@type":54,"acceptedAnswer":64},"How do support needs and implementation differ across educational settings?",{"text":65,"@type":57},"Research highlighted that commentary often focuses on Further Education (FE) colleges, while evidence for other settings is more limited. Studies also report variation in staff experience, such as limited GCSE experience among staff delivering work-based learning qualifications.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":68,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":40,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":70,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":72,"site_id":7},206870,1788596429,{"code":4,"msg":75,"data":76},"success",[77,81,85,89,94,99,104,108,113,116,120],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":78,"show_sort_weight":79,"slug":80},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":82,"show_sort_weight":83,"slug":84},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":86,"show_sort_weight":87,"slug":88},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":90,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":91,"show_sort_weight":92,"slug":93},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":95,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":96,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":98},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":100,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":101,"show_sort_weight":102,"slug":103},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":105,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":106,"slug":107},8,30,"research-report",{"id":109,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":110,"show_sort_weight":111,"slug":112},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":114,"show_sort_weight":111,"slug":115},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":118,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":119},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":121,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":122,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":123},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":75,"data":125},{"doc_id":72,"user_id":126,"nickname":37,"user_avatar":127,"doc_module":4,"category_id":105,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":128,"file_id":129,"file_url":130,"file_type":131,"file_size":132,"view_count":4,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":105,"language":133,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":134,"faqs":135,"seo_title":136,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":73,"read_time":111},7971461740909,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","Sutton trust. (2011) . Degrees of success: University chances by individual school. London: Sutton trust.  \nUCAS. (2016) . Applicantsand acceptances by groups of applicants 2015 . Cheltenham: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.  \nUCAS. (2017a) . End of Cycle Report 2017: qualifications and competition. Cheltenham: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.  \nUCAS. (2017b) . End of Cycle 2017 Data Resources: acceptances by deferred and age. Cheltenham: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.  \nVidal Rodeiro, C. L. (2007) . A level subject choice in England: patterns of uptake and factors affecting subject preferences. Research Report. Cambridge: Cambridge Assessment.  \nVidal Rodeiro, C. L. (2019) . Popularity of A level subjects among university students. Cambridge Assessment Research Report. Cambridge: Cambridge Assessment.  \nVidal Rodeiro, C. L., & Sutch, t. (2013) . Popularity of A level subjects among UK university students. Statistical Report Series no.52 . Cambridge: Cambridge Assessment.  \nVidal Rodeiro, C. L., Sutch, t., & Zanini, n. (2015) . progressing to Higher Education in the UK: the effect of prior learning on institution and field of study. Research Matters: A Cambridge Assessment Publication, 20, 13–21.  \nVidal Rodeiro, C. L., & Williamson, J. (2018) . meaningful destinations: using national data to investigate how different education pathways support young people’s progression in England. Research Papers in Education.  \nVidal Rodeiro, C. L., & Zanini, n. (2015) . The role of theA* grade atA level as a predictor of university performance in the United Kingdom. Oxford Review of Education, 41(5), 647–670.  \n􀀓tu􀀛yin􀀞 􀀆n􀀞lis 􀀘n􀀛 􀀍􀀘t 􀀜m􀀘ti􀀚s 􀀘t 􀀌􀀜v􀀜l 2 post-16: issu􀀜s 􀀘n􀀛 􀀚 􀀘ll􀀜n􀀞􀀜s  \n􀀋o 􀀊r􀀜l􀀘n􀀛 Research Division  \nIntroduction  \nAlison Wolf stated in her Review of Vocational Education (2011) that despite General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) mathematics and English being key to employment and education prospects, less than 50 per cent of students achieved grades A*-C in both qualifications. the review recommended that English and mathematics should form a required component of post-16 study programmes for those without GCSE grades A*-C in these subjects, working either directly towards GCSE or other qualifications which provide “significant progress”towards GCSE success.  \nthis recommendation proved to be the catalyst for a number of revisions to Government policy. this article looks at these post-16 policy changes and the subsequent challenges and issues faced by students, teachers and providers of English and mathematics at Level 2. It covers GCSE resits and Functional Skills. In addition, it aims to shed light on what support is needed by students and teachers, and whether those support needs differ according to the qualification in question.  \nthe majority of published commentary in this area relates to learners in Further Education (FE) colleges who are resitting GCSE English and/or mathematics. there is little work on those in other settings (e.g., sixth form colleges), or those taking other qualifications in English and mathematics post-16. there is also more research relating to mathematics than to English, although many of the findings may apply to both subjects.  \n1. In 2017, the 9-1 grading scale was introduced for GCSEs in England, replacing the A*-G scale. Grade 4 is equivalent to grade C (Ofqual, 2017) .  \n2. Students achieving C/4 or higher in English Literature are not required to study English post-16 (Education and Skills Funding Agency, 2019) .  \nPolicy changes and effects  \nIn 2014, the Government introduced the requirement that students in England aged 16–18 who have not achieved at least a grade C/41 in GCSE English or mathematics should continue to study these subjects as part of their programme of study (Education and Skills Funding Agency, 2019) . Furthermore, from 2015, it was decided that those students who have achieved a “near pass”(grade D/3) in English2 an","cbCaiipiUMDio08k","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiipiUMDio08k","pdf",84166,"English","# Introduction\n## Policy changes and effects","[{\"question\":\"What policy change triggered revisions to post-16 English and mathematics study requirements?\",\"answer\":\"Alison Wolf’s 2011 Review of Vocational Education recommended that English and mathematics become a required component of post-16 programmes for those without GCSE grades A*-C, leading to subsequent government policy revisions.\"},{\"question\":\"What did the 2014 requirement mean for students aged 16–18 without GCSE C/4 in English or mathematics?\",\"answer\":\"Students aged 16–18 in England who had not achieved at least grade C/4 in GCSE English or mathematics had to continue studying these subjects as part of their programme of study.\"},{\"question\":\"How do support needs and implementation differ across educational settings?\",\"answer\":\"Research highlighted that commentary often focuses on Further Education (FE) colleges, while evidence for other settings is more limited. Studies also report variation in staff experience, such as limited GCSE experience among staff delivering work-based learning qualifications.\"}]","mAttERS / ISSUE 2 8 / AUtUmn 2 0 1 9 | PDF"]