2 years, 10 months ago

New crackdown on GCSE questions with middle-class bias

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. While an English exam “might test use of complex sentence structures, or analogy, inference and allusion”, it said “conversely, maths papers testing numeracy should not contain overly complex text”. This isn’t about making exams and assessments easier, but about breaking down the barriers that stop young people achieving their true potential and making sure that exams actually test the things they are designed to test Ofqual chief regulator Jo Saxton In a 2017 Edexcel GCSE maths paper, candidates were asked about a theatre where “each person had a seat in the circle or had a seat in the stalls”. A 2019 German GCSE examiners’ report from exam board AQA said “some students struggled to state advantages and/or disadvantages of a skiing holiday”. “This isn’t about making exams and assessments easier, but about breaking down the barriers that stop young people achieving their true potential and making sure that exams actually test the things they are designed to test,” she said.

The Independent
Language Exams Students Exam Test Young People Pupils Questions Gcse Ofqual Complex Language

Discover Related