ASCL comment on exam arrangements for 2023

Commenting on the subject content and assessment arrangements in the academic year 2022 to 2023 announced today, Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:

“We welcome the announcement of this information in that it allows schools and colleges to plan their teaching accordingly. However, we are concerned about the decision to remove the choice of topics and content in some GCSE subjects as one of the mitigations for the disruption caused by Covid.

“The students who will take their GCSEs next year have been heavily impacted by the pandemic and it is likely that Covid will continue to cause periods of absence between now and summer 2023. It would surely have made more sense to keep this mitigation in place. We look forward to decisions over other mitigations such as exam aids and advance information in due course. We would remind Ofqual and the government about the very significant level of disruption these students have experienced when they come to make these decisions.”