Report Confirms GCSE Re-sits

Pupils who sat AQA GCSE English exams will be given the opportunity to re-sit.

Education Minister John O’Dowd made the announcement as his department published a review carried out this year’s AQA GCSE results.

The review was carried out by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment.

The Minister said: "Following this year’s GCSE results, concern was raised by a number of schools locally about some of the results received by pupils who had taken English and English Language with AQA.

"I have now received the final report from CCEA. The report raises a number of issues, most notably the complicated nature of the current examinations system which operates across three jurisdictions.

"For many pupils studying AQA GCSE English, grade outcomes have not been in line with schools' predictions or in line with last year’s outcomes. It is clear that the complexity of the system, and the fact that grade boundaries are set on a three jurisdiction basis, have combined to impact on teachers’ expectations of pupil performance.

"I have asked my Department to consider what additional measures and resources can be put in place to support schools as they prepare pupils for these exams. Details will be communicated directly to schools in the coming weeks."

The report states that there should be an early re-sit opportunity for candidates in Northern Ireland and that the 60% weighting for controlled assessment should be reviewed to reduce dependency on internal assessment.

It also called for clarification of the requirements for the management, delivery, marking and moderation of controlled assessment and a review of predictors and their effectiveness.

The availability of the GCSE English specification for candidates should also be reviewed, it said, and schools should be made more aware of the awarding process.

(IT/GK)