Why 9 to 1?
The new GCSE grade scale has been the subject of much debate in recent months. Why did we change it? That’s the question we’re being asked a lot this summer, as we await the first of the new grades. To …
A levels and GCSEs
Our Journey – Changes to GCSEs, AS and A levels
This month we’ll see the first awards of the new GCSEs and A levels in England. Pupils are looking forward to receiving their results after two years of study. Our own preparation can be traced back several more years. Since …
2017 entry data: things to look out for
Today we published a report showing the provisional entries for GCSE, AS and A levels in England this summer. We collected this data in April, so it’s not complete, but it does give a good guide to the sorts of …
Monitoring the 2017 exams
As in previous years, we expect to see students letting off steam on social media...Some of these will be reported in the media, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a problem...
Prediction matrices explained
We have said that exam boards will rely more heavily on predictions this year for the new qualifications. But how are the predictions generated? And what do we mean by prediction matrices?
Setting grade 9 in new GCSEs
Grade 9 is not the same as A*; it’s a new grade, designed to recognise the very highest performing students. So there will be fewer grade 9s than there are currently A*s. And in the first year grade 9 will be calculated arithmetically.
Setting A* in the new A levels
You may be familiar with the rules for setting A* in the current A levels: students must get enough UMS marks to achieve a grade A overall and achieve 90% or more of the UMS marks at A2. This rule …
Levelling the playing field
We often talk about creating a level playing field for students taking their GCSEs, AS and A levels, regardless of which exam board they enter with. That’s our aim this summer, in both reformed and unreformed qualifications. Our priority is …
Mythbusting: 3 Common Misconceptions
There are 3 myths we commonly hear about our work: GCSEs used to be criterion referenced, my school can’t improve because of Ofqual’s approach and there is a cap on the number of each grade awarded. Here's why they're not true.
None of these is true.
Comparable outcomes and new A levels
How Ofqual will make sure this year's A level students are not unfairly disadvantaged.