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 …
A levels and GCSEs
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.
Let’s talk about maths...
Today we had a meeting with a small group of mathematicians - bloggers, subject association representatives, teachers and others - all with an interest in the new GCSE. We talked about the changes to GCSE maths this summer: more content, more demanding …
GCSE maths: choosing the ‘right’ tier
This month is the deadline for schools to enter students for this summer’s new GCSEs, including maths. They’ll already know which specification they’re teaching, but there is also the choice of which tier to enter students. For those less familiar …
Grade boundaries: the problems with predictions
Would you believe someone who told you now that they could predict, to 1 degree Celsius, the temperature on the day your students get their GCSE results this summer? Perhaps not. You might expect they could get reasonably close, based on previous …
Comparing like with like in 2017
Since the start of the autumn term, we’ve been asked an increasing number of questions about next summer’s awarding process. Many of these questions are being addressed through our 9 to 1 campaign. We’re also aware that teachers, students and …
Do you have experience of teaching AS English or history?
Can you help us to evaluate the impact of the recent reform programme in relation to these AS subjects, and specifically how this has impacted teaching? Are you available to attend a teacher conference in Coventry on Wednesday 14 December? …
Thoughts on the inaugural meeting of Ofqual’s Research Advisory Group
Research is an important tool for Ofqual. In assessment the questions we face rarely have obvious answers and our responses must be evidence based. Have standards changed over time? Are some A levels easier than others? Do changes in the …