‘Too much of a good thing’ – OCR wants fewer exams

An exam board is calling for a ‘rebalancing’ of assessment that would see fewer exams at 16. OCR, one of the five main exam boards in England, says that while exams have many benefits, the current ‘volume and intensity’ of exams at 16 – at GCSE and for vocational Key Stage 4 qualifications – is ‘too high’.

The argument is made in a new report Striking the Balance: A review of 11-16 curriculum and assessment, based on a review of assessment chaired by the former education secretary Charles Clarke. It involved wide consultation with stakeholders, including over 2000 students and teachers, as well as roundtable events, surveys and desk research. The report argues that there is much about 11-16 education that is working well, including that the GCSE is an internationally recognised and ‘highly trusted’ qualification. However, it concludes that in order to meet the challenges of education and employment now and in the future, there is an ‘urgent and immediate’ need to reform and evolve significant aspects of 11–16 curriculum and assessment in England.

The OCR found that students in England took an average of 31.5 hours of exams each, higher than most comparable countries, and argue that this ‘dependence’ on exams leads to ‘too much focus on a narrow range of learning’. They recommend that the government reduce the number of assessments used at GCSE, spread them out across the two years of key stage 4, and review the appropriate use of non-exam assessments. In support of a ‘modest’ reduction in assessments they note that, using the results of just one of the three OCR Maths papers sat by GCSE students, the final grade a student will attain can be predicated with a high degree of accuracy.

They also argue that an overreliance on exams is exacerbated by a curriculum that is ‘overloaded with content’, citing maths, the sciences and history as particular examples. The report calls for the content of the GCSE curriculum to be reduced, allowing more time for the study of broader skills and competences. Other recommendations include introducing a benchmarking qualification (assessed on screen) to highlight gaps in students’ knowledge in Maths and English at key stage 3, and redesigning the English Language GCSE to include a broader definition of English skills including media and spoken language.

Speaking about the recommendations, Charles Clarke said: ‘The realistic, bold reforms set out in this report would give young people every opportunity to fulfil their ambitions and potential. Many teachers we consulted felt that this sort of change would give them the time and space to do the sort of teaching they joined the profession for.’

Jill Duffy, chief executive of OCR, said: ‘No-one expects an exam board to say there are too many exams. Established exams have enormous strengths. But you can have too much of a good thing over a short period. As this report makes clear, it is possible to rebalance assessment at GCSE without sacrificing rigour and standards.’

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, commented: ‘We have become a nation that is hooked on exams, and this report resonates with many concerns raised by school and college leaders. The excessive volume and intensity of GCSEs, as reformed by the last government, is completely unnecessary for the purpose of aiding progression. It creates significant exam anxiety among students, with a detrimental impact on their mental health, and is particularly challenging for those with additional needs.’

The report comes as Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has commissioned a government review into curriculum and assessment, chaired by Professor Becky Francis.

Full OCR report: https://tinyurl.com/muc7a77x