O’Dowd - Pupils will have opportunity to re-sit English exam with additional support from schools
Pupils who took the GCSE English exam with the AQA Awarding Organisation will be given an early opportunity to re-sit their exam and schools affected will be given additional support if they need it.
~ Monday, 8 October 2012
That was the message from Education Minister John O’Dowd today as he published the review carried out here into this year’s AQA GCSE results.
The review, carried out by the local qualifications regulator CCEA, makes six recommendations, all of which have been accepted by the Minister. The review was commissioned by the Minister following concerns about results received by pupils taking GCSE English with AQA.
The Minister said: “Following this year’s GCSE results, concern was raised by a number of schools locally about some of the results received by pupils who had taken English and English Language with AQA. I moved swiftly to commission CCEA, as regulator here, to investigate in order to gauge the impact on local students.
“I have now received the final report from CCEA. The report raises a number of issues, most notably the complicated nature of the current examinations system which operates across three jurisdictions.
“The CCEA Regulator has found that the overall grade outcomes for GCSE English here were in line with achievements in previous years. The CCEA Regulator's findings also confirm that awarding procedures operated in England and here were in line with the Code of Practice.
“While the overall picture may not raise general concerns, analysis at school level indicates issues with results in a significant number of schools. For many pupils studying AQA GCSE English, grade outcomes have not been in line with schools’ predictions or in line with last year’s outcomes. It is clear that the complexity of the system, and the fact that grade boundaries are set on a three jurisdiction basis, have combined to impact on teachers’ expectations of pupil performance.
“For this reason, I have decided that pupils who wish to re-sit their examination will be given the opportunity to do so at an early stage. It is important to note that this is just an option for pupils and those affected should speak to their teachers, parents and guardians to decide what is most appropriate for them. Schools can continue to avail of the normal re-sit opportunity in January if they prefer.
“I have asked my Department to consider what additional measures and resources can be put in place to support schools as they prepare pupils for these exams. Details will be communicated directly to schools in the coming weeks.”
The report makes six recommendations. They are as follows.
i. There should be an early re-sit opportunity for candidates here.
ii. The 60% weighting for controlled assessment should be reviewed to ensure qualification outcomes are not as dependent on internal assessment.
iii. Awarding Organisations need to work through the Joint Council for Qualifications to clarify the requirements for the management, delivery, marking and moderation of controlled assessment.
iv. The use of predictors and their effectiveness should be reviewed.
v. The availability of the GCSE English specification for candidates here should be reviewed.
vi. Schools should be made more aware of the awarding process and the issues which may arise when choosing specifications from different Awarding Organisations.
The Minister continued: “I am accepting each of the recommendations made by the regulator. I have now tasked CCEA to work in conjunction with the regulators in England and Wales to ensure that the recommendations are implemented across all Awarding Organisations operating here”.
“The review has concluded that the procedures operated in line with the Code of Practice and that GCSE boundaries were in line with previous years. This will go some way to restoring confidence in the fairness of this summer’s examinations series.
“I expect that the review of GCSE and A levels that I have commissioned will address the complexity and transparency of the awarding process and will identify ways in which such instances can be avoided in future.”
A copy of the full report is attached below:
