At Ofqual, and regardless of the weather, our minds are always on the summer. We’re either thinking about the summer exam series just gone or the one to come. Sometimes we’re thinking about the series after that. We’re not alone. …
Some of you will remember the announcement we made in August 2018, that we were allowing exam boards to award an exceptional grade 3-3 on the higher tier of GCSE combined science, along with a full-width safety net grade 4-3. …
GCSE, AS and A level exams finished in late June, and schools and colleges are now nearing the end of term. But what happens to students’ scripts once the exam is over? Here’s a brief guide to marking, who the …
When asked to think of examiners marking scripts, many people still tend to think of them sitting at a desk with a pile of envelopes from schools and colleges, gradually working through each one in turn. In some subjects, that …
This week we’re addressing some of the common questions and concerns posted in response to our recent Facebook updates and blogs. ‘New GCSEs are very hard’ We have seen quite a few comments about new GCSEs being ‘too hard’, or …
...GCSEs or A levels prior to exam board specifications being accredited. Given the amount of change in GCSE science we decided that it would be appropriate to undertake some supplementary...
...Short and Full courses out, there is around a 45% fall in Short Course entries this year and about a 10% rise in Full Course entries. As I made clear...
...is to align standards between exam boards in a subject and over time. So it should be no easier, or difficult, to get a particular grade with one board than...
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...
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...