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Curriculum 2000 reviews

On 14 June 2001, the Secretary of State asked QCA to undertake a review of the implementation of the A level reforms, popularly known as Curriculum 2000. For phase one of the review, QCA identified the range of issues underlying the concerns being expressed about the reforms. The report on this work looked at:

whether the arrangements for sitting AS papers have a significant effect on the learning time available for study in AS and A2 courses
the effect of the examinations timetable
the key skills qualifications.

In response to phase one, and in accepting the proposals set out in the report, the Secretary of State asked QCA to address the following issues during the second phase of the review:

improving the examinations timetable so as to reduce the number of clashes
improving the arrangements for AS and A2 examinations, including developing single papers of up to three hours as an alternative to end-of-unit assessments
examining the appropriateness of the content of AS specifications
developing further guidance for schools and colleges, and for students and parents on Curriculum 2000
reducing the assessment burden and developing a greater range of proxy qualifications for the key skills qualifications
reviewing the appropriateness of the provision of qualifications in the area of post-16 mathematics.

The report from the second phase outlined the action taken, such as guidance, examination arrangements, examination timetable and key skills; highlighted two significant issues - AS mathematics and criticisms of the quality of service provided by awarding bodies - and identified some medium-term concerns, which included:

resits and cashing-in rules
content in AS
level of demand in assessment requirements
vocational A level structure, standards and numbers of units
AEA development.

A third review of Curriculum 2000 was completed in autumn 2003.

Documents to download

> Curriculum 2000 review - report on phase 1 (PDF file)
> Curriculum 2000 review - report on phase 2 (PDF file)
> Curriculum 2000 review - report on phase 3 (PDF file)
> Curriculum 2000 provision in schools and colleges [UCAS/QCA, June 2002] (PDF file)
> Employers' perceptions of Curriculum 2000 [QCA, December 2002] (PDF file)
> The second year of curriculum 2000: experience compared with objectives [QCA, December 2002] (PDF file)
> Students’ perceptions of curriculum 2000 [QCA, January 2003] (PDF file)

QCA web links

> Institute of Education
> Review of AS mathematics