Clarification of provisional citizenship data
On Wednesday this week I gave a briefing to journalists about some of the trends that we might expect to see in this year's A level and GCSE results given...
A levels and GCSEs
GCSE marking and grading
...universities making admissions decisions, or employers deciding who to employ) need to be able to trust what it indicates. They may well be comparing people who have been awarded the...
Assessing drama
We are aware that a petition is circulating suggesting that the new GCSE drama course contains more written elements than practical elements and calls on others to object; We want...
New GCSE maths sample exam papers
Many of you reading this blog will know of the work we have been doing to review exam boards’ sample GCSE maths papers. Those particularly interested in the detail may...
Summer 2015 GCSEs, IGCSEs, AS and A levels
As the exam season closes, I thought it would be helpful once again to set out how we are regulating the awarding of GCSEs, IGCSEsi , AS and A levels....
Some thoughts following my talk to Surrey Secondary Heads in Dorking
As Ofqual’s Chief Regulator, I care deeply about assessment, of course, but it is only one part of the system; qualifications should be designed to deliver the curriculum aims first...
Some choice words in spoken English
In September 2015 students will begin studying the new GCSE in English language, which will be graded 9 to 1. The qualification will be first awarded in 2017. The English...
Some thoughts on perceptions
The latest YouGov report is the 13th annual exploration of attitudes to general and vocational qualifications, as well as to Ofqual. The research, which we commissioned and was conducted by YouGov, investigated perceptions and levels of confidence in qualifications and …
The national reference test
I have written to all secondary schools during half-term to provide them with information about the new national reference tests that we are introducing - and to ask them for their support for this important development.
GCSE maths, final decisions
...actual difficulty of questions the identification of questions judged by maths teachers to best elicit mathematical problem solving analysis by maths teachers of the ways in which questions testing mathematical...